Blackbird Singing
by Sealeena
Summary: AU - "I could have stopped him," he said, tears thick in his voice. "He was acting so weird and he almost hurt Mom and I saw him text you. I knew something bad was gonna happen and I should have said something, but I didn't. And it's all my fault!" In King County Georgia, life was boring. Simple. Then, a certain sheriff Rick Grimes met one Beth Greene, and it all changed.
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own the Walking Dead or its characters and ya-da ya-da ya-da no money from this blah, blah, blah. Let live and let lie, I've got some characters in a non-canon space in an AU place._

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 1**

King County, Georgia was hot this time of year. Summer was always sticky, and walking outside was a combination of overwhelming heat and nearly drowning. The humidity was relentless, oppressive. Oppressive: a strange word to use as synonymous when liquid from the air was pouring down your body, but it fit. At least, Beth Greene felt that way as she hurried inside to her apartment in order to change clothes, and change jobs. During the day, she was a vet tech at the local animal hospital, and at night, she waitressed part time at the local bar/steakhouse merely for the fact she didn't like being by herself in a little one bedroom apartment so much.

The Final Go Round was quaint. There was a bar for locals to sit up at and drink, order food if they like, and mostly booths surrounding the rest of the place, with just 3 tables for larger groups, if needed. It was old wood that made the place beautiful and warm, the bar custom with a gorgeous granite counter top and more beer on tap than normal, especially for a smaller local place that was as far from franchise as possible.

The only time they tended to get out-of-town visitors were tourists that were exploring the countryside, families after football and basketball games, and the occasional town over couple that wanted something different for date night. The steak was honestly some of the best that Beth ever had, the prime rib tender and just the right amount of flavor when rare, like butter melting in your mouth when you bit down. The rest of the menu was pretty straightforward though, with burgers, fries, and bacon galore.

It was one of these evenings, after she had been settled for just a few weeks, that Beth had the pleasure of meeting one Rick Grimes.

She had gotten a hang of running the register fairly quickly, and since it was Wednesday (a lazy day, if any), she was cocktailing by herself, with Tara Chambler helping run tables, Rosita Espinosa bartending, and mild-mannered Tyreese cooking in the back.

Beth and Tara had gotten along immediately. The two girls were a bit rowdy when they worked together, but extremely effective, and could handle any sudden dinner rush that came their way. Beth was still a quiet girl overall, charming Southern hospitality and doe-eyed smiles, while Tara was more brusque, but could dazzle the pants off any girl that wasn't sure which way to swing. Her open sexuality in a small town was trouble to her some days, though most of the locals were friendly enough with her and accepting.

The two injected a vitality and amazing spirit into the Final Go Round that had patrons smiling, drinks flowing, and tips large.

Originally, Beth had gone to school to become a veterinary technician, in order to appease her father. She had completed the program within the two year mark, graduated top of her class, and after that, she felt a little empty. The original plan had been for her to move back and help her father with his business, but considering he was planning for retirement (like he should have several years ago), she was loathe to move back to her tiny hometown and waste potential years to do just…something! What she really wanted to do was move to Atlanta and try her hand at singing, but she was incredibly shy and afraid to disappoint her family. She'd leave that bit to her sister Maggie that was in Macon, shacking up with a Korean boy the name of Glenn. Hershel, who had a healthy dose of the old South and its racist ways to contend with when it came to his family, had only recently started addressing Glenn by his name and not, "That there Asian boy."

In the meantime, she was happy to settle down in King County until she figured out exactly how she wanted to proceed with the rest of her life, maybe save up some money and at least get that studio recording under her belt. Even if she didn't make it big, she'd be happy to just have a professional recording of her voice to remember the good 'ol days. Heck, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to make it big. She loved to sing for people, but she wasn't sure if the price of fame would be worth it.

Considering it was only a Wednesday, they had been unusually busy. Some families had deemed it the night to eat out and filled up the booths quickly. Tara and Beth handled the rush with ease, though they were happy when it started to die down, Tyreese just now getting his kitchen back in order while Rosita was washing and drying glasses.

A few ladies had walked in to sit at the bar, whom Tara took to immediately, waving Beth off to take a breather. "I can help these wonderful ladies out," she said, eyebrows waggling suggestively and shooing Rosita off as well. She instead dragged Beth over to the other end where a man sat in a patrol uniform of the local sheriff's office, nursing a beer. "In fact, we should make some introductions. Rick!" Tara called out as they approached the man. "Rick, I want you to meet our new girl, Beth Greene. She moved here not too long ago. Beth, this is Rick Grimes. He's become sort of...a regular around here."

The man had just taken off his hat, his hair naturally curly and in need of a good haircut, getting a little long and unkempt and in need of being brushed. He had a little bit of a beard, more than a week's worth of stubble in fact, salt and pepper in contrast with his dark brown hair; and when he turned to greet the ladies, had bright, piercing blue eyes. He gave a smile that didn't nearly reach those eyes, though he remained polite.

"Hey Tara." He turned his attention to Beth. "It's very nice to meet you ma'am."

With that, Tara excused herself back over to the ladies, whom Rosita had already served drinks, but that didn't seem to be stopping the other woman from getting her flirt on.

"It's nice to meet you too, officer," Beth said, smiling.

"Please, just call me Rick." The smile reached his eyes a little this time.

"If that's the case, then call me Beth. My mother is a ma'am and I don't think I'm nearly old enough for that," she teased.

"All right, Beth," he said, and seemed to play her name on his mouth, lips, tongue, and teeth; tasting the letters that named her so. It was rough, but gentle at the same time. "So you must be pretty new to King County. I reckon I haven't seen you around here and it's my job to know everyone.."

"That I am," she replied. "Got settled in just a few weeks ago. I work days over at the State Avenue Vet Clinic as a tech, but I hate having so much free time, so I'm here a few nights a week."

Tyreese rang the bell for an order up. Beth looked to see Tara putting the moves on a curly haired brunette that was giggling and blushing, so Beth excused herself a moment to grab the food. She saw it was Rick's meal and bounced right back over, setting down the burger with fries and a steaming side of collard greens.

"This is the closest I get to home cooking nowadays," Rick said as he accepted the plate from Beth. "Though the home cooking I used to have made me eat here a lot of nights anyways."

She felt a slight frown grace her face, but tried to keep it neutral when he looked back up and merely smiled at him again encouragingly.

"It's pretty good food." She settled down a little, leaning in to be able to talk to him better. "The prime rib is the best I've ever had."

Rick gave a grin, "Well that's a shame cause I'm known around here for grilling a pretty good steak."

She was about to reply, but there was another order up. Beth had to excuse herself again, and she found herself busy with busing tables and drink orders. Rick kept an eye on her, and Beth did the same to him, noting that when his beer and meal were done, he was flagging Rosita down for something a little stronger: scotch. However, even switching to such a strong drink, she couldn't help but note that the slope of his shoulders seemed to be less burdened after they had talked, although the look in his eyes expressed an exhaustion that hinted to more than a lack of sleep.

Rick was paying for his bill by the time Beth found a moment to come back over to him. He nodded to her as he put his hat back on his head.

"You working tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yup!" she set the tub of dishes she had behind the counter of the bar, wiping her hands on her apron and sort of wishing that he didn't have to leave so soon. However, a quick look at the clock showed it was nearing 10 P.M. and kitchen would be closing in thirty minutes. They never were open that late during the week, only the bar open until 1 A.M., and that was if there was the business backing it up. The Final Go Round tended to be lax according to the discretion of the bartender during the week. "I should be here at six again, but then I'm done, off the rest of the week."

"Well I might have to stop in for supper. You have a good evening then, Miss Beth. Stay safe." He gave a nod, tipping the brim of his hat to her as he got off the bar stool before turning on his heel and heading out the door, leaving Beth alone to wipe off the bar and finish closing out for the night.

Tara came over, a bit of a swagger in her step, proud look on her face as she held a scrap of paper triumphantly between her fingers.

"Look who might get some," Tara said in an exaggerated whisper, smirking suggestively. Beth rolled her eyes and smacked Tara playfully on the arm, going on about no shame and whatnot, but Tara gave the reply of, "Oh yea? Look who's talking! I saw how you were battin your eyelashes at Officer Friendly over there!"

Beth blushed with a quick 'no!' and walked around, scrubbing down tables as everyone had filtered out, save for a few later drinkers. Tyreese was closing the kitchen down at this time, the smell of deep fried goodness no longer available. Rosita had put a lot of the fruit away, most likely only serving hard liquor and beer now since it was all locals that were left.

"So what's his story then?" Beth asked. "He seemed kind of sad."

"Oh Rick!" Tara said dismissively as they cleaned up the dining room. The woman had been in King County her entire life, born and bred. Even if she was batting for the other team in what was sometimes a stereotypical butch way, Tara was a little bit of a gossip. "He's actually a really great guy, but turns out his wife was having an affair, though she wouldn't say with who, and anyways...they finalized their divorce not too long ago. It was this whole big, ugly thing. Lori really put the waterworks out onto the judge, tried taking Rick for everything he has, which is a decent amount, considering he's sheriff deputy. And oh gosh, they've got a boy, Carl. He's like….I don't know. 11 or 12?

"So she's kind of all crazy and has full custody and uses it against him. Like he had to buy her a new car and pays more in child support than required because he just wants to see Carl. He only gets his boy every so often, and now he's a workaholic. He hardly seems to take a day off unless he's seein his boy, and most nights if he's not doing the overnight shift, then he'll be here for dinner and sometimes lunch. Actually, I'm a bit surprised you haven't seen him before now. He must have been covering for the overnight, that's usually like Jim and Morales. But seriously, he's in here quite a bit. I think he just gets really lonely."

Tara went on for a few more minutes, but Beth threw herself into finishing up and making sure they had everything put away for the night, though she couldn't help but think of said Officer Friendly and how his life was at the moment.

Her father Hershel, had always said Beth was his little saint. In high school, she had been a volunteer for food drives, usually handed out gifts to the homeless around Christmas time, and always helped those in need whether it was helping pay for groceries or just giving someone a ride. She had an extremely nurturing instinct, for which her daddy had always been happy to brag about.

Now, the nurturer in her kicked into gear again, just begging her to help out Sheriff Deputy Grimes in some way. If anything, Rick just needed someone to talk to. Sometimes people just needed a new ear for certain situations. Or maybe she could send him a good, home-cooked meal to work for lunch or something. Beth had practically grown up in the kitchen, the more wifely of the daughters in the family (older sister Maggie was a bit of a daredevil tomboy), always learning how to bake and make some old Southern classics. Her mamma had always said that it was a woman's duty to her husband to know how to make a decent meal or two, and Annette had made sure that Beth knew more than just a few.

There was a part of her now that wondered and maybe even hoped that Rick would make it in for dinner like he said.

Beth closed out for the night, turning in her receipts to the back office to her manager, Morgan Jones.

"Have a good night, Beth," he called to her as he punched in the numbers for the evening.

"You too, sir," she made sure to holler back as she grabbed her jacket and purse.

On her way out, she made sure to drop by the kitchen to see if Tyreese needed help, but he waved her off and said he was fine. Rosita smiled and said good night, telling her that they would need to get together soon for a jog, to which the blonde happily agreed. Tara stood by the door, waiting to walk Beth to her car.

"I'm not a little girl, Tara," Beth reprimanded, to which the darker woman rolled her eyes.

"I've gotta be the hero in all this, somehow," Tara jokingly replied. "I mean, how else am I supposed to impress the damsels in distress if I can't even protect you?"

"Oh Tara, you're the heartthrob of little girls everywhere," Beth cooed.

"Damn straight."

 **Author Notes:** I enjoy the Brick ship. I especially love Bethyl. Beth, to me, is such a wonderful and strong woman that grew on the show, I could imagine her in several different scenarios, with several different outcomes with other people. She's versatile and has a warm personality that's all encompassing. I do have a Bethyl story in the works, but I wanted to pay a little homage to this ship first. I think that this matches up kind of closely with the beginning of another Brick ship on here, but it changes quick, I promise. I've got two more solid chapters put together already if there's a positive response to this. So, to let me know if you want more, you know where that awesome review button is. Love to all! I've only been lurking on Tumblr (not posting), but I wanted to put a good influence on our community.


	2. Chapter 2

_I do not own the Walking Dead or its characters and ya-da ya-da ya-da, no money from this and so on and so forth. No need to sue and all that terrible nonsense. These characters are playing in my non-cannon space in an AU place._

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 2**

The next week had passed pretty uneventfully for Beth, which she found disappointing. The temperature was still hot, the humidity sticky sweet, and it all came together to make it bad enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.

People brought most of their pets in for regular checkups, though there were one or two cases where people brought in strays that were suffering from dehydration. Beth had to contact the local humane society, and while waiting for them to arrive, petted and loved on the dogs to help keep them calm in the craziness that was the office.

She found herself looking to the clock more often as the day dragged on. Finally, when five rolled around, Beth was the first one out the door, feigning having to step into her other job early. It was a bit of a last minute schedule. Morgan had informed her she'd be picking up one or two Thursdays a month, if it wasn't too much trouble. There were no objections, the extra money was welcome and it staved off shutting herself in at home. She changed into her uniform: a t-shirt with the restaurant's logo printed in the corner and black shorts with comfortable tennis shoes and her apron. Summer allowed the use of shorts, the heat usually too much to wear jeans. The laid-back atmosphere allowed for comfortable clothes, and Beth was thankful the only thing really required was the t-shirt and apron.

She pulled her long blonde hair into a messy bun, some of the hair gracefully falling down to complement the arch of her pale neck. She took care to fix her eyeliner and mascara, adding a dab of gloss to her lips and highlighter to her cheeks before being satisfied at her appearance.

Before heading to work, she made sure to throw in a load of laundry to the washer and swap it to the dryer, watering her herb garden on the windowsill, and taking out the garbage. If anything, she was a creature of habit and cleanliness, having grown up in a strict household where chores were a matter of proper raising and discipline. The teachings stuck, and her apartment was homey and spotless.

There was a final glance to make sure everything was in order and she left her tidy, but quiet apartment, locking her door on the way out.

* * *

In college, it had been called 'Thirsty Thursday.' Offers of cheap drinks were given to poor, broke college students in order for them to drink their troubles away and forget the fact that either they had to study all weekend, or procrastinate with partying all weekend, only to panick and study Sunday at two in the morning. Beth had not imbibed often, but some nights when her friends were able to get her a wristband to sneak her in, she had joined several times, enjoying the hazy feel alcohol brought.

It only took one hangover for her to change her tune about drinking too much, especially with a father that was an alcoholic on the verge of death at one point (even if before her time), for her to change her mind about partying. While she enjoyed the occasional glass of wine, or hell, even a good two fingers of scotch, she was wary. Even after recently turning twenty-two, she never was one to go past two glasses.

Thirsty Thursday was always a bit of a hit at the Final Go Round. It was happy hour all night, with half-priced appetizers, specialty shots for sale, and beer on tap at a discounted price as well. Nights like this kicked off the weekend with a bang, so there were two cooks with a floating line prep/extra bartender, two regular bartenders, a busboy, one dedicated cocktail waitress, and usually three waitresses.

Tonight was no exception. Tara looked relieved when Beth walked through the door a little early to take over as cocktail waitress. Another blonde, Amy, was waitressing with Tara tonight, and talked more than both Tara and Beth combined. She was a bit of a flirt, but could carry five plates on one arm and three drinks in the other hand without breaking a sweat.

Rosita was bartending, a little grumpy already thanks to the college boys that came in early thinking they could get laid. Karen was the other woman bartending, but was slightly distracted as she flirted with Tyreese for the evening. The two had been dating for a while now, but still acted like they were in high school. Bob Stookey, a retired Army medic, was cooking tonight and would just shake his head at Tyreese and Karen's antics. Morgan had stepped out of his office tonight to take over line prep, and it appeared as if the busboy was running a little late.

"Thank gawwwdd," Amy said in lieu of greeting Beth. "Beth, there's gotta be a full moon tonight or sumthin cause it never gets this busy so early!"

"Get your ass out on the floor, blondie," Rosita called out, though with a playful grin.

Beth didn't need to be told twice, setting her purse in back and stepping into the rotation with ease. Several hours had passed by before things finally seemed to calm down from the dinner rush and now they were stuck with the usual locals and just drunk college kids.

Another sweep of the place, and Beth saw Rick, fresh from duty, sitting down with another man that was darker skinned and darker haired, though handsome all his own. Tara gave a fist bump to the other man, while Amy hugged them both around the necks, smiling all the while.

Not wanting to seem aloof or too shy, Beth approached the group a little more slowly. Tara waved to her while Amy whisked away to one of her tables that was ready to pay their bill. Rick caught her eyes and broke out into a grin, the light the smile reaching his eyes this time. He still had the beard in place, but his hair seemed to be a little more well kept, like he had taken the time to brush it this morning. The other man gave her an appreciative stare that felt a little invasive for her liking, but she kept polite all the same.

"Hi there," she greeted. She turned her attention to Rick. "I see you brought a friend."

"Evening, Miss Beth," Rick said, his voice all woodsy, smoky, and just like a velvet liquid against her senses. It was hard to not feel anything with a face and voice like that. He gestured to the other man. "Beth, I'd like you to meet Shane Walsh. Shane, this is Beth Greene. She also works at the State Avenue Vet Clinic. Beth, Shane is a sheriff's deputy with me at work. We go pretty far back."

"Yeah, all the way back to the damn sandbox," Shane interjected. "We been buds for a helluvah long time." He shook Beth's hand, fingertips grazing on her wrist a little too much for her liking. Her eyes narrowed a little. She knew a player when she met one, and Shane was no exception. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Beth."

"Hmmmm," she gave out politely, though a little tight lipped. "I get you boys anything to drink?"

They had just gotten some beer from tap, easy enough, and Shane put an order in for some hot wings while Rick politely asked for the deep fried walleye. She wrote up the order, ringing it in to Tyreese and Bob before grabbing the beer from Rosita.

The college crowd was a little rowdy tonight. Beth had never worked a Thursday before, usually just Monday through Wednesday as the other girls liked to rake in big tips on the weekend, and she found it a little intimidating. Since it was summer and all the kids were back home, Thursdays became just as busy as the weekends.

The girls were slutty, the boys a little too perverted, and everyone was so damn handsy. Beth found her Southern Belle charm faltering in the face of lecherous leers and drunken one night stand proposals. She found herself stopping by Rick and Shane's table more often just to escape the other boys than anything else.

Through conversation, she found out the two had been instigators of mischief in their younger years, though Rick calmed down after Lori got 'knocked up' in college, as Shane liked to tease. Beth saw a flash of pain in Rick's eyes anytime Lori was mentioned, which was rare for the most part, but Shane seemed to completely miss it.

To keep things light, she asked if any of the churches around had choirs.

"Now why would someone as pretty as you waste her Sunday in church?" Shane asked jokingly, well into a fourth beer, to wash down the wings from earlier he claimed. "You a bit of a songbird, Miss Beth? You look like Nashville material, I bet."

She thrust her head up a little as she straightened her posture in retaliation. "I reckon I can carry a tune." Her voice shook a little, but there was a fire in her eyes.

Rick gave a little bit of a smile at seeing the change in attitude from her. She was more of a spitfire than she had let on. "You know," he interrupted, "they have an open mic night here on Saturday nights for a few hours." Beth looked at him, surprised. "It's free, you just have to get in line. We have a lot of people that think they can sing. Think is the key word there. Maybe you could show them how it's done?"

She gulped, a bit of a blush rising to her face.

"I...I- don-don't know if I'm that good," she stammered, trying to stay modest.

"I'm sure you have a lovely voice," Rick said, and he meant it. If her singing was in any way close to how she spoke, he bet it was just like a beautiful meadow lark. "In fact, Shane 'n I'll come and cheer ya on. Ain't that right, Shane?"

"Oh yeah, ah course we will." Shane nodded. He leaned in for stage whisper of, "Though we're usually here on Saturdays anyways."

Beth blushed even more. "Uhm. Maybe. I mean, I could sing a song...probably."

"I'd love to hear you sing, I bet you'll do wonderful." Rick was sincere, placing his hand over top of hers to convey his feelings so.

She looked down to their hands, feeling goosebumps and a hot tingle that shot all the way down her arm, only to pool in the base of her belly. It had been a long time since a touch had made her feel that way and even just that good.

"I guess I don't have anything happening," she slowly said. In her mind she knew that was a lie. She definitely didn't have any plans, and any plans were usually a result from combing through Netflix or another book impulse buy on her Kindle. "Yeah. I could probably come. Go out for a change."

"It's not going out if it's somewhere you work," Shane joked, and Beth laughed genuinely at the comment.

"Spose not." She reluctantly took her hand away from Rick's, grabbing her tray. "I'm not one for going places though. I like to keep things simple. 'Scuse me, please."

She walked away to take care of the others seated in the bar area, happy that Tara and Amy helped out with the drunks, though Rosita had a glare that could scare off most men. Karen laughed such attempts off. Anyone local knew she was taken and one look at Tyreese was all they needed for a warning otherwise.

Shane and Rick were given their bill and they paid, both leaving a generous tip. However, Rick made sure to pull Beth to the side and apologize for putting her on the spot.

"You really don't have to sing if you don't want to," he stated. His hand was gentle when he tugged at her arm lightly to stop her on his way out. "I just thought you'd be great. It's not my place to push when I've just met you."

She grabbed at him and looked up at him, not minding their closeness, or that someone might be watching. The intimacy of the moment was a stark contrast to the loudness of the restaurant, and all of Beth's senses honed in to Rick: his eyes, his beard, the taut muscles of his arms. His brilliant blue eyes had bled dark a little when he had stepped closer to her, and she couldn't help but revel in the fact he was sans cologne and smelled like good soap and spice and all man, whatever that was. She couldn't quite place it, but she only knew it was heavenly and warmth and safe all rolled into one, something she would jump at in a heartbeat.

"You're fine, Rick. I don't even get out enough. I work here and didn't even know about open mic night. Of course, I never really told anyone here that I like to sing." She ducked her head a little and blushed before gaining the courage to look up at him again. "Thanks for telling me about it, I'm pretty excited, actually. Maybe get me out of my hidey hole," she teased to herself.

He nodded, his shoulders sagging with relief a little. "Alright. I'll see you Saturday, then."

Beth bit her lip, grinning a little as she went to finish out her night at the Final Go Round.

 **Author Notes:** Oh sweet baby jesus, finals are among us in lil ol NoDak and I AM DONE TOMORROW. The celebrations commence this weekend! COD: AW and partying up as much as a 26 year-old can bear with the young 'uns. I start up the summer semester a few weeks from now. I'm really pushing to be done by end of 2016 next fall, but not overwhelm myself, so we'll see how it goes. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I apologize for any grammatical errors that may occur. I run without a beta, and I like it that way since I have a pretty hectic schedule. I do comb through the story and try to fix continuity errors that happen, but if there's anything big, just let me know. I've got the whole sucker on one long-ass Google doc so I can jump on when I have a few minutes.

 **Give me your thoughts:** I must question it, since I've seen the arguments around the net, but how angry were you at the MSF? Super late, I know, but I've been very quiet on the matter. I think my anger stemmed not from the Bethyl ship going down in flames (my OTP's tend to do that: Zutara, Bethyl, Kranna, Klaroline, etc., so I'm used to it), but from the fact that we had a rich character that was building and becoming that one you root for, only to have the most senseless and confusing death to ever happen. The fact that half a season turned into a total waste felt completely unacceptable, especially when obvious comic!Andrea parallels were being presented. I wanted a strong female that could still see good in the world and claw her way out of darkness, while being a BAMF. It's hard to relate to a lot of the other female characters on the show, personally, and when many begin to serve as plot points/vessels, it's pretty depressing. So, here's to hoping some totally awesome fix is given in season 6, OR AT LEAST A DAMN FUNERAL. But meh.

As always, comments are appreciated and let me know if there's interest to continue.


	3. Chapter 3

_I do not own the Walking Dead or its characters and ya-da ya-da ya-da, no money from this and so on and so forth. No need to sue and all that terrible nonsense. I don't own the stuff that Emily Kinney sings and writes, so go give her some support!_

 **Age note:** Okay, this one I thought about for 5 minutes. Beth obviously needs to be a little older because she's a vet tech. That's minimum college schooling. So that's why she's recently 22. Rick is 34. 12 year difference only, I know (God, Gwen, get your shit together). I was originally looking at a 15-year difference, but the problem came with Carl. Carl is 12 and I realized it **right after** I posted chapter 2. Ugh, I am terrible at beta's, I told ya! So Rick needed to be like 22 to knock up Lori in college I figured since they're most likely close in age. That's why there's that. I AM SORRY.

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 2**

The next day was a blur. Work ended uneventfully at the clinic and Beth had found herself at home with nothing to do. After supper, she was just busy folding up and putting away her scrubs, planning on ending the night with a relaxing bubble bath and a book to read. However, as the evening progressed, she found herself a little restless.

Without even really thinking, she had her acoustic out in the open, in desperate need of tuning, to which she happily obliged. Throughout the night, after the guitar was up to par, she strummed and hummed, singing covers of songs and some of her originals she had written when she had been a little naive.

In the beginning, she thought to maybe do a cover of an older band, but upon opening her voice to the empty apartment, she liked how one of her own songs sounded. For some reason, she felt there was the need to impress and the drive found her belting a song that described her breakup with her boyfriend from college.

Zach.

He had been the lanky, curly haired boy of her dreams, but he was just that.

Just a boy.

If there was anything Beth had learned, boys were no good. They were whimsical, selfish, and no real dreams that might result in a home and a family. No, if she were to date again, it'd be with an intent...and a man.

* * *

Beth got called into work at the clinic Saturday morning. There was an emergency and the other tech that was supposed to be there had gotten sick, so she had to rush in to cover. It made for a stressful start to the day, and she was a little irate as she made her way to her car, covered in more fluids than she cared to admit that early afternoon.

She practically shed her scrubs off when she made it through the door, immediately taking a hot shower and a good scrub. Afterwards, she was tired enough that she changed to sweats and a tanktop, flopping down on her bed, exhausted.

When she opened her eyes again, it was night, the midday sun no longer shining through the curtains. Groggily, she turned over and looked to her cellphone to see she had several text messages. One was from Amy, the rest from Tara.

 _ **Amy:**_ _OMG ur singing 2night? Thats what Shane said. Cant wait! - 6:45 PM_

 _ **Tara:**_ _Bitch, nvr told me u could sing! I'm excited to see u - 6:30 PM_

 _ **Tara:**_ _Yo, where u ? Shane and Rick are here - 7:00 PM_

 _ **Tara:**_ _Srsly. COME HERE. - 7:05 PM_

 _ **Tara:**_ _Officer Friendly is looking extra friendly 2night ;) - 7:07 PM_

Beth looked at the clock to see the time read 7:09 PM. The constant buzzing from her phone must have woken her.

Wait...Rick and Shane were already there?

She changed in record time and for once her hair seemed cooperative, having dried appropriately and not being a rat's nest from her nap. Quickly, she put on enough makeup to look presentable and dressed in skinny jeans, a pair of broken-in cowboy boots, and a dressy crop top. She grabbed the case with her guitar and was out the door within ten minutes.

A quick, five minute drive had her sitting in the parking lot at the Final Go Round. She suddenly felt nervous, her stomach doing flip-flops as she locked up and grabbed her guitar. There were more people in the parking lot than she had anticipated, and it was contributing to her increasing anxiety.

What if she made a fool of herself?

What if she sounded terrible?

What if everyone laughed at her?

What if Rick thought she sounded terrible?

She shook her head to clear herself of the negative thoughts that had swarmed in. She quickly went over her song lyrics in her mind again and knew that she could sing. She'd been doing it since she was a little girl, and if an entire town thought she was fine, as well as a couple of places in college, then she really couldn't be that bad. With this in mind, she squared her shoulders and walked into the restaurant with as much confidence as she could muster.

Tara, amidst a crowd sitting at the bar with a tray on one hand, caught site of Beth and squealed audibly in delight, nearly plowing over patrons as she ran to the front and one-armed squeezed her friend.

"About damn time you got your ass here." She leaned in, pointing discreetly to the bar. "Rick and Shane came in a little earlier than usual tonight. I don't think Shane is complaining though. Rick has been really mopey since the divorce and does a lot of at home drinking, if you know what I mean." She grabbed Beth's hand to drag her to where the two men were. "Look who decided to show up!"

Shane was preoccupied with a sultry red head that looked barely legal enough to drive, let alone enough to drink, but Rick turned around right away, his blue eyes lighting up. However, he tried to hide his eagerness and schooled his features into what the girls assumed was an appropriately stern look. Beth found it, dare she say, flattering and couldn't help but give him a big, genuine smile.

"Evening, Beth," Rick greeted.

"I'm so sorry, I kind of fell asleep," Beth blurted. "I got called into the clinic this morning, of all days."

Tara started laughing and had to immediately leave to help the other customers. Rick tried to hide his amusement. Poorly.

"Just get it over with," Beth said, embarrassed enough already.

"Oh, I don't have anything to say," Rick said. "I mean, except here I thought I was the old man, but maybe you're trying to take over that for me?" He leaned up against the bar and gave her a bit of a lazy smile. "Buy you a drink?"

She couldn't help but feel a thrill at the banter, stomach flip flopping as if she were on a roller coaster. "First of all, you're not old. Second, I could definitely use some help before I have to go up there." She pointed at the mic where someone was mangling 'Achy Breaky Heart.'

He gave a little laugh. "Well, my son thinks I'm old at thirty-four." He waved over to one of the bartenders to get their attention and he turned back to Beth, giving her a cautious look. It was one that was asking what she'd be having, but also what she thought of his age, putting their gap at a slightly considerable difference of a little over a decade.

She promptly ignored that second implication.

"I'll have a shot of whiskey." She bit her lip nervously. She didn't want to get drunk, but a glass of wine or beer sure as hell wouldn't help calm her nerves, as frayed as they were at the moment.

Rick gave a little bit of a laugh, joyful and taking years off his face in an instant. However, Beth didn't find herself minding the age gap, even if it was by a good twelve years. Dear lord, the man was a good deal older, but she couldn't help but find him extremely attractive. In moments like this, when the sadness from his divorce and overall shit situation weren't silently weighing on him, she saw his confidence shining. There was a sureness in his step and how he moved his body in a way that only came with experience. She found herself liking that experience, how he had a good stubble and a rugged handsomeness from wrinkles and lines due to laughter and just living.

She'd take experience and wisdom over strength and youth nearly any day.

"A woman that likes a strong drink." Beth sidled up to him amongst the crowd, jostled close to him by other bodies. He didn't seem to mind. "You sure you can handle it?"

"No jokes about my size," she reprimanded playfully.

"I think I was talking about your age, old man," he countered, lightly bumping her shoulder with his.

She felt a blush rise and couldn't help but feel happy.

It was...nice.

* * *

The shot had gone right through her, warming her insides and giving her the bit of motzy that she was searching so desperately for. The happy atmosphere that cheered the singers on, whether bad or good, was infectious and full of small town charm. However, the crowd had definitely picked up within the last hour or two, and the place was packed. Rick was ever the gentleman though, if the crowd got too rowdy, and had placed his arm around to keep her steady and protected.

She was beginning to relish in those touches. It sent a delicious jolt through her every time his skin made contact with hers.

All too soon her name had been called from the list when she had signed in. Her coworkers and many of the locals that had gotten to know her in her short time working there, hollered and cheered with such a roar. Beth felt her ears turn hot as she blushed involuntarily, the rosy red creeping from there down her neck and spreading across her chest.

"Don't have to if you don't want to," Rick said into her ear, his breath warm and inviting.

That helped boost her courage and she squeezed his hand in response, forcing his mouth to stay so close to her ear just a moment longer.

She grabbed her guitar case and gave him a dazzling smile. "I've got this." She quickly walked up to the impromptu stage with the microphone. There was an amp to the side for those that knew how to use it, and Beth set up her guitar with practiced ease. "Hi there," she said softly into the mic.

The crowd cheered loud and she was so surprised by the amount of support. The bar was packed with the restaurant floor crowded as well. Apparently, the Final Go Round was the place to be on a Saturday night in King County. She was surprised by how many faces she recognized, and pretty much the entire staff was there, even the ones that had their night off. Her boss from the clinic had made an appearance too, and one of the other vet techs. The grins on Tara and Amy's faces showed that they may have been in charge of that.

She waited for the cheering to die down a moment.

"So I'm Beth Greene." She strummed a chord to make sure she'd be on key and that the guitar was in tune.

"I love you Beth!" Tara yelled out among the silence.

"You love all the ladies, that don't make me special," Beth quipped into the mic, and the crowd laughed loudly.

She began to strum, shifting her feet and trying to remember the proper posture so she wouldn't lose her breath. The crowd became a little more silent, though there was murmuring here and there.

"This was a song I wrote when I was younger, in college, and a little stupid." There were a few chuckles. She looked to Rick, who was watching her intently. "I'm a little bit wiser now, and I know what I want when it comes to certain things. I hope." She lowered her eyes, a little self-conscious. The lights felt almost uncomfortably hot. There was a buzzing along her skin, she knew if she wanted to she could puke into the garbage can that was three feet away. "Here goes."

She began to play.

 _I am giving up one of my dreams today_

 _I found out I can't always get my way_

 _And sometimes a dream isn't worth what you pay_

 _So I'm giving up one of my dreams today_

 _When we are children we look to the sky_

 _We want everything, I'm afraid to ask why_

The crowd was silent now, listening intently. Beth was lost to the music, her eyes heavily lidded. She saw that Rick was watching her and only her, but it registered on a lower level. When she sang, the music took over, flowed through her, and that was it.

 _And I saw the sparkling fish in the sea_

 _I dreamed I would find one who'd swim next to me_

 _And this called love and it's worth every reason_

 _Love is the cool and the warmth in each season_

 _But how does one love and what does one do_

 _When the dream that you have doesn't want to pick you_

 _But oh~ oh~ don't cry for me_

Even Shane, who was still relentlessly flirting when Beth took the stage, got quiet and looked over to his friend Rick. The man was both hard jawed and astounded. Beth had a beautiful voice, but the lyrics cut deep.

 _It's just one dream less on my shoulder_

 _And oh~ oh~ dad says giving up dreams is just a sign I'm getting older_

 _He was a stoner and I'm like a light_

 _And when he would blaze I'd sing songs by his side_

 _But my dream takes two strong hearts that will fight_

 _And he doesn't dream he just sleeps at night_

 _And oh~ oh~ don't cry for me_

Someone pulled a cliche move and held up their lighter, flickering with each sway, but still strong. Others followed suit. Morgan would normally not allow such a thing, but even he was moved and had a soft smile on his face, like a proud father.

 _It's just one dream less on my shoulder_

 _And oh~ oh~ dad says giving up dreams, is just a sign I'm getting older_

 _Oh they say too much smoking will change your taste_

 _Maybe that's why he's kissing some other girl's face_

 _But I never dreamed of second place_

 _So I'd rather just quit than continue to race_

 _And oh~ oh~ don't cry for me_

 _It's just one dream less on my shoulder_

 _An oh~ oh~ dad says giving up dreams is just a sign I'm getting older_

 _And oh~ oh~ I am singing on stage_

 _But it doesn't mean I know much better_

The crowd cheered.

 _Oh~ohhhhhh~_

 _You're probably like me_

Rick's eyes were maybe a little glassy, but he had a smile, a good one, and that's what mattered.

 _Some days dreaming and some days a quitter_

 _I am giving up one of my dreams today_

 _After I held him and begged him to stay_

 _And after my dream will drown out to a whisper_

 _After I've burnt all the photo booth pictures_

 _And after I erased our names from the sky_

 _Stopped wondering how and asking why_

 _Oh I wish I had words to encourage inspire_

 _But the truth is I'm ripped and I'm sad and I'm tired_

 _I'm a loser in love an abandoner of dreams_

 _And today I gave up the one for him, and me_

As the last chords rang out over the audience, everyone broke out into wild cheers, clapping and rushing for her. Tara burst through the crowd, bringing Beth down into a bear hug, Amy and Rosita happily joining in.

"Amazing!" "Fantastic!" "Holy shit, Beth! I had no idea you could sing like that!" "You should become a rock star!" "Good job, Blondie!" "Way to go, Beth!"

She graciously thanked everyone, getting hugs and pats on the shoulder from strangers and people she barely even knew. As she made her way to Rick, she saw he had gotten her a glass of water from the bar, handing it to her immediately when she got to him.

She nodded her thanks to him and drank most of the water in one gulp.

"You have a beautiful voice," Rick complimented.

"Thanks," Beth replied, blushing lightly.

"Miss Songbird could get a record deal if she wanted to!" Shane exclaimed, slapping her on the back good naturedly. "Damn girl. What are you doing in a shit small town like King County? You should go to Atlanta or sumthin. Try your hand at gettin' famous."

Beth shook her head. "Naw. I mean...I'd like to record some of my music, just to save it, you know? But I don't wanna be famous. I just like to sing."

"Well then, if you don't want to be famous, let me buy you one more drink," Rick said, and that ended that conversation, Shane shrugging his shoulders and walking off to find his latest conquest.

Beth spent the rest of the evening talking to friends, acquaintances, and even flirting some more with Rick. Nothing more exciting happened for the evening, but she felt giddy and light when she got home and crawled into bed, happy with how her life was at that moment and the decisions that led her to King County.

 **Author Notes:** I think Miss Kinney has some very soulful lyrics, and I am, for the most part, a fan of her singing. However, she is best to listen to when I'm in particular moods. You know how it goes! Okay, so now I remembered what story this is like. The lovely _Pretty Racing_ 's "Breath of Life" - **Go give it a read** , it's just a wonderful time. I know that this started off much the same way as far as locations and some situations are concerned, but I'm one for a bit more of a slow burn and of course a different overall story. I hope that I'm not stepping on toes, but I am making sure to give credit where it's due. Also, I apologize on formatting errors. I write this thing on one big-ass Google doc with a copy/paste and mother fucker it's not cooperating today, of course!

 **Also:** Tumblr peeps (are there any that read this?), you're more than welcome to put this out there (give credit where due, please, or just let me know! I like seeing me out there). Are there other communities I should post this in? The Bethyl/Brick community is one of the most passionate I've seen in a while, and I like supporting it :)

Have a wonderful weekend all. Please review, I really appreciate it!


	4. Chapter 4

_I do not own the Walking Dead or its character, because if I did, the 1st half of season 5 would have been totally different. There's no money from this and blah blah blah. No need to get your panties twisted and sue me. Hire me as a writer for the show instead so I can fix your mess!_

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 4**

The rest of her summer seemed to go by without a hitch. The days bled into one another and into the months, a comfortable routine. She'd work at the clinic Monday through Friday, and then was a cocktail waitress at the Final Go Round Monday through Wednesday, with a Thursday thrown in every once in a while to cover for busy nights. She began to go for jogs on the weekend and started writing down her songs, slowly starting to save her money to get that studio recording to immortalize her voice.

Tara, Amy, and Beth would hang out when days off matched up. They'd tan on the lawn by the local swimming pool, sometimes taking a dip when it got too hot, or go to the local diner downtown for lunch. One time, they all took a trip to the city to shop and get pedicures. That had been one of the best days she'd had since the night she sang in front of everyone. Beth never had any close girlfriends back home, and while it was only really two that she hung out with on a regular basis, she appreciated the friendship. Her second job was more fun than work, and she would often find herself helping out and staying later just because.

She found herself talking to Rick more and more. He seemed to make sure to drop by the first part of the week to see her when she was working at the restaurant, and it was the unspoken agreement with the others working that Beth would be his waitress and take his order.

They talked about anything and everything. They talked about where Beth came from, how her father Hershel was a veterinarian, but a strict man who attended church every Sunday. They talked about Rick's grandfather, the man who was the reason he got into law enforcement. They talked about Rick's son, Carl, and how the twelve-year-old boy could be moody one day and the be a happy little boy the next. However, they never dwelled on Rick's divorce. Beth didn't ask and Rick never confessed.

He only asked her one other time if she would sing, but she feigned stage fright and he didn't press her on the issue, though that didn't stop everyone else from bugging her about taking to the mic on a Saturday night again.

Beth found her crush for Rick growing every day, but she was afraid he might reject her, and she found herself happy to just talk to him, spend time with him, no matter how little or how much.

For now, that was all she needed.

Life was quaint. Life was happy.

Then, their relationship suddenly changed on a warm, balmy day at the tail end of August.

Beth was out for a jog on a Saturday morning downtown. It was a little early, but she wanted to get out before the heat got too overwhelming. Considering it was already pushing eighty-five degrees, it wasn't going to get any cooler anytime soon.

Bright, preppy, funky music was loud in her ears as she turned up the volume on her iPod. Her pace was a little slower than some, but it was strong and she was proud to have built up her stamina over the last few months.

As she made her way along the sidewalks, she saw a cop car parked over by the local downtown diner, with Rick and Shane sitting inside, both looking a little peeved to have to be working today. Rick held a to-go cup of coffee in one hand, just under his nose so that the vapors would drift up and wake him somehow. He then caught site of Beth as she ran and gave a smile and a wave. She changed her course to head over to them by the intersection, taking the crosswalk as the light turned green for her.

A smile was on her face, happy for this sudden chance to talk to Rick.

That was when it happened. It was too fast, and too slow, all at once.

She didn't hear the sound of the car, but there was a change on Rick's face as panic leapt forth from his eyes. He shouted something, it might have been her name, but Beth could only turn and look to her left where a strange sensation was coming from, which was just enough time to register that she was in the path of an oncoming car running a red light.

"Oh."

There was a horrible screeching sound, like a banshee being brought to life, as the tires failed to make a full stop in time. The car hit Beth at about twenty miles an hour. Rick was fumbling with the car door of the police cruiser and flinging it open as she flipped up onto the car windshield and cracked it from the impact, rolling forward and back onto the ground in front of the vehicle in a heap as it finally stopped.

Beth was still awake, but everything hurt. Her left hand was bleeding and her wrist ached terribly, but didn't appear broken. Her leg seemed to be the worst of the pain, and breathing was like taking in liquid fire due to the force of impact. Every breath taken in was excruciating and not fulfilling, every exhale a rattle and pins tingling. Pain was everywhere and all those parts fought to be the most recognized.

The driver had stopped and gotten out of the car in shock, a younger man who was bleary eyed and looking like he was probably still drunk from his Friday night antics. Rick was running to Beth's side in a panic, while Shane immediately had thrown the young man against the car and began furiously screaming at him while handcuffing him.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see her," the man babbled, sobbing as he was taken towards the police cruiser.

Beth hazily heard Rick frantically radioing dispatch on his portable for an ambulance to be sent to their location. She felt his gentle, warm hand tenderly brushing her haphazard hair away from her face.

"Beth? Beth? Can you hear me?" he asked her. There was a ringing in her ears and the light from the sun was too bright, making Rick look like a reflection in water, hard to concentrate on. "Beth! Answer me!"

She licked her suddenly dry lips and whispered, "Hurt. I hurt, Rick."

"I know, baby girl." The affectionate name came without much thought. His voice was shaky. "You're gonna be okay. Help is on the way." He only stroked her hair, afraid to touch any other part of her in fear of what may be broken, but took comfort in the lack of blood coming from her. "I promise you Beth, I promise we'll make this right."

The wailing of the ambulance was heard not too far away, though she wasn't sure how much time had passed. Shane had run back over to Rick, asking how things were, and that was when Beth blacked out.

* * *

A sprained wrist, a stable tibial shaft fracture, among severe internal bruising, and numerous scrapes, had Beth feeling like she may indeed have rotten luck. Doctor Edwards tried to cheer her up with the fact that her type of fracture was very common and easily treatable. However, she was given a nice, heavy dose of morphine to cope with the pain, and would require overnight observation to make sure nothing else was wrong.

As soon as Edwards had left the room, Rick all but came bursting in, looking worried and haggard. Beth couldn't help but smile and feel important at his sudden attention.

"Doctor said you've got some recovery time ahead of you," he tried to start. He kneaded the back of his neck with his hand worriedly, as if he might tear the skin off with his level of stress. Beth wanted to do nothing more than reach up and take that worry away, but shifting her body made her realize any real movement might be difficult for a while yet. "I'm so sorry we couldn't stop him, Beth. I am so sorry. This is all my fault."

Beth tried to smile, but it came out as a lopsided grin with a bit of drool, especially with the morphine coursing through her system. Damn, she must be looking like a fool right now.

"Don't apologize Rick. There's nothing you could have done. It was an accident," she slurred slightly. He looked away, uncomfortable. "Hey!" He looked back at her. "Really. It's not your fault." She paused a moment. "But, if you still feel bad, make it up to me by having dinner with me sometime."

Rick blinked.

Beth held her breath in anticipation, afraid she could pass out at any moment.

He started to speak and then stopped a second, before continuing with, "Beth, I think the morphine may have gone to your head. You asked me on a date?" He looked around like she might have asked Hugh Jackman that magically appeared instead. "You sure you're wanting to have dinner with me?"

"I'm not so drugged up I don't know what I'm saying," she scowled. "Just gave me some courage is all. Promise."

Rick scoffed. "You got more spitfire than most girls I know. I can't see someone like you needing courage."

"With you, things are different," she confessed.

The room was quiet for a minute.

"Beth," Rick began, "you know I'm quite a bit older than you." Every time he used her name, she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach.

"You're thirty-four," she said. "So?"

"I'm divorced."

"Lots of people get divorced for lots of reasons. What's your point?"

"I have a kid."

"I know."

Ricked rubbed the back of his neck, tense. "I work all the time."

"I know. I do too. You see me when I'm working, a lot. Rick, none of this is news to me. If you're trying to get me to not be interested because of things out of your control, then you're wrong. The fact you're older doesn't bother me. In fact, I find you pretty darn attractive." Okay, maybe the morphine had gotten to her head a little, but she continued on. "So you got a divorce, so what? I've know many people that got married twice, heck, even three times. Marriage shouldn't be treated lightly, but if you gave it what you could, then that's all that matters. And Carl? Rick. He's your whole world. You love your boy and I would never want to come between that. I want to get to know you first, more than I already have, and...in a different way. We can take it slow and take it easy." She bit her bottom lip, trembling a little. "Unless I've been reading everything wrong and you don't feel that way, then I understand. I'm good with being friends."

"No, God no," Rick interjected. "I mean...Beth...I like you. A lot." He gave a smile and Beth noted that any time he did so, genuinely, his eyes lit up. "You're kind, an amazing singer, smart...beautiful. There's so much to you that makes you so great." He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I just don't know why you'd be interested in me when you've got all those boys that come to see you at the Final Go Round."

"I don't want a boy," Beth stated firmly. The morphine was starting to take over her limbs and her mind. She felt tired and could feel herself drifting off, even as she spoke. "I dated boys before and they were nothing but a waste of my time. You're a man, Rick, and a great one at that. I know what I want, and it's you. Is that so hard to see?"

He came over to her and leaned down to lightly brush some hair from her face. He was tender and even through the drug induced haze, Beth felt her skin tingle at his touch. That alone told her that whatever was between them was worth pursuing.

"Alright," he whispered. "But we'll have dinner once you're better! I know it'll be a while yet before that cast is off. Did you want to wait til then or…?"

He wasn't getting off that easy. "I'm sure I can manage dinner somewhere just fine. As long as you don't mind me being a gimp in the first place."

"Maybe they'll feel so sorry for you they'll give us a discount," Rick joked.

She laughed. "It's a date."

 **Author Note:** Hey guys, sorry I had a lapse. Just started my summer semester for college (1 more summer of this BS to go!), and even though it's only 2 classes, it's an intense 6 weeks. Cannot wait to get it over with! Anywho, I apologize for any medical inaccuracies, as I did a quick Google search to make it slightly believable. Poor Bethy! Poor Rick! They just need to get their lovin on. Like, seriously. I'm the author. Why aren't they banging yet?! As always, this is not beta'd. Please review guys, I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU LOVE. Thanks! :)


	5. Chapter 5

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, because copyright laws blow, but there is this fun thing called fanfiction where I can manipulate the shit out of existing characters and even though it makes me jack shit, it's totally amazing and awesome and I need this to process my feelings._

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 5**

Since Beth had a stable fracture, she was able to at least move around more without having to elevate her leg so much unless sitting or lying down, though she was stuck with a cast and crutches when mobile. By the time she had left the hospital the next day, she had so many flowers and gifts that when Rick came by to help her home after her discharge, he had to make several trips in and out of the hospital to grab everything.

She apologized, but he was having none of it, happy to be doting on her on her day off and one of his rare days off without Carl as well. She found it extremely flattering, though she was slightly embarrassed by all the attention she was receiving.

Yesterday, the flowers and gifts had poured in at a somewhat alarming rate, but Beth had become a bit of the town darling thanks to her working nights at the Final Go Round. Tara and Amy both came in with large bouquets, cooing over her and telling her that she would be taken care of by everyone and not have to do anything. Morgan came later in the day, letting her know that she was to take time off at the Final Go Round until she was well enough to work again and her job would be available when she could come back.

She called her sister Maggie, first, in order to give the bad news. In hindsight, calling Maggie first might have been a bad idea, but the thought of the patriarch Hershel most likely driving down to King County with proverbial guns blazing, the might of his God's word with his trusty Bible, wasn't much better.

It took a lot of placating and reassurances that she was okay, but Beth was finally able to convince her sister that: she did not need to come down, and the boy was in jail on a few charges already that didn't even include hitting her with a car so no, Maggie couldn't 'mess him up.'

"I've got lots of friends here and I'm being taken care of," Beth had stated. "There's no need to worry about me."

"Bethy, you broke your leg!" Maggie had exclaimed. "There's plenty of reasons to worry. And since when did you have friends?"

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I plan on telling Daddy, and that's to not worry about me." She rolled her eyes, ignoring the last comment, refusing to be pulled into a fight with her older sister.

The conversation had been marked as final, with Beth stuck immediately calling her father after speaking with Maggie. Her mother, Annette answered, and that went into an extremely long and tiring conversation for her. It was only after the promise to accept a weekend visit with lots of goodies that Beth had finally been able to get away from it all and succumb to the morphine again. She took advantage of the drip as she would most likely get stuck with acetaminophen or prescription strength ibuprofen upon release.

It had been a long and surprising day. She finally fell asleep, happy, hurt, and exhausted.

* * *

"I think we're all set," Rick said, swiping his hands together as if dusting them off. He stood in front of Beth, hands settling on his hips, legs slightly apart and the stance was so manly that Beth felt a bit of warmth course through her limbs. "You ready to go?"

She swallowed, nodded, and adjusted her stance on her crutches, not quite used to the handicap. "Sure am!" She hobbled closer to the pickup and he hurried over to open the passenger door to help her in. She was silently thankful the vehicle wasn't lifted and was at least easy enough to get in and out of. "I really appreciate you doing this, Rick. I hope this isn't too much trouble for you."

"I want to and it's no trouble at all," he said as he started the pickup and put it into gear.

It didn't take long to get to Beth's apartment. King County wasn't that big to begin with, and most everyone was in church since it was Sunday morning. The drive was quiet and pleasant, with the occasional remark about lovely weather and whatnot. Being of course familiar with the entire town of King County, Rick had no issues finding Beth's place when she gave him her address. He was soon assisting her up the thankfully small flight of stairs to her home, making sure she sat down before going downstairs to grab the rest of her things.

She felt a little silly and doted on as Rick came in multiple times with the bouquets of flowers. She had indicated the small kitchen table at first, but then her coffee table and end table in the small living room were also filled and soon the apartment appeared a makeshift florist shop. The smell of flowers was almost overwhelming, though still pleasant. A blush rose to her face when he came in with a larger teddy bear, courtesy of Shane with a cute card about getting well soon. However, Rick was also carrying a bouquet of gorgeous wildflowers, bright and colorful with large lilac sprigs throughout. Beth loved lilacs, they were such a beautiful shade of purple and had a wonderful smell.

"Okay, so I know that Shane got that teddy bear, but I'm not recognizing those flowers," Beth said a little confused.

Rick became a little flustered, scratching and rubbing at his beard growing in. "Well uhh…." He set the teddy down on a kitchen chair and slowly made his way over to her on the couch where she was currently elevating her leg. He kneeled down and looked at his boots, as if they were possibly the most interesting thing in the world at the moment before finally peering up at her face. Nervously, he ran his fingers through his hair. "They're from me." He looked to the other flowers in the room, "But I guess they're a little overplayed, huh?" He finished with a wince.

Delicately, she took the flowers from them and inhaled. "Rick, they're beautiful. Lilacs are one of my favorite, actually." She gently placed her hand over his and smiled. "You know, I never really did get flowers like this. Last boy I dated said that they were gonna die anyways, so what was the point of getting me something that'd be gone in just a few days? He wasn't much one for spoiling in the first place, I guess." She took in the scent from the bouquet again. "But you know, I just like them. They're beautiful and perk up your day and it reminds you that someone took the time to think about you and go out of their way to do something for you. I think that's special." She gave him a pointed look. "Don't you?"

Wrinkles creased around his eyes as he returned her smile in kind. "Beth, you're special. I mean, to me, at least," he stammered. He allowed the fingers from his hand to thread through hers, large thumb stroking across her skin and sending waves of electric heat tingling across. "You deserve the world, to be thought about."

"I don't know about that," she replied.

"You deserve to be treated right," he argued. His grip became just a little firmer, but was still gentle. He looked down again. "I only hope that I can do that right."

There was a pounding in her chest and an uncomfortable tightness in her throat. This man, that was older and supposed to be more confident in the ways of the world, looked so vulnerable at the moment. The level of intimacy present was almost more than she could bear, and with a startling thought she realized that things with Rick wouldn't be just for a fling or fun. No, he was more the serial monogamist and Beth knew that she needed to make that decision if she could see the bigger picture with him, the end game.

Funny enough, she did. At least, she thought she did.

She hoped.

"I think you'll do more than right," she informed him. "I'm a simple girl, it don't take much to make me happy."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, Rick sitting down on the floor next to the couch to be in a less awkward position. They held hands a little while longer yet, Beth ever aware of his thumb still lazily stroking across her hand. She began to feel tired, but she didn't want him leaving, not just yet.

"Watch a movie with me?" she asked quietly.

"I got time for that," he answered.

She fumbled for the remote to her television, turning on the SmartTV soon after. He grabbed the flowers from her and placed them over on the kitchen counter for the time being while the Netflix application loaded. Beth had never been one for cable, working a nearly full-time job while in college and two jobs now, but she enjoyed binging on shows on the weekend when bored and had been footing the bill for Internet and Netflix for several years now. While she also had a very Christian upbringing, she had gone through her own rebellion and watched nearly anything and everything. Her recently watched list showed a plethora of shows and movies that ranged from _Legally Blonde_ to _National Treasure_ and _Life Unexpected_ , to some other shows like _The Blacklist_ and _Daredevil_.

"Isn't _Daredevil_ that superhero show?" Rick asked as he made to sit on the floor.

She gave a little bit of a 'pfft' in response. Superhero show. It was the superhero show of choice. Again, that rebellion had kicked in before and she revelled in the smooth acrobatics of Daredevil and the sometimes extreme violence from the fight scenes. The overall storyline had proved to be fantastic and she had planned on watching through the show again for pure enjoyment, but just had forgotten until now. It probably wasn't a bad idea that Matt Murdock was easy on the eyes as well, in his adorably Parker-esque way. However, looking at Rick, Beth knew she preferred another type of man: one that had full lips and beautiful, bright blue eyes with a physique that commanded respect.

"If I can use you for a pillow, you can sit on the couch," Beth said. He happily obliged. Once situated against his very warm, and very firm leg, she answered his question. "Yes, it's that new superhero show. How do you know about it?"

"Carl's into that stuff. Plays XBox a lot when he's over." He rolled his eyes. " got an XBox One. Gotta make sure he's occupied when I get called out on emergencies. I took him to see Avengers two when it came out in the spring. Got lucky on that one, but he keeps asking me to get Netflix setup, just haven't had the time or want to." He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "I like watching that stuff too, but when you come home from working fifteen hours, you're not up to much." He looked down at her a little sheepish.

"Then I think it's settled," she said as she clicked the 'ok' button on her remote to begin _Daredevil_. "Don't worry, I'll help catch you up on all things cool so you're not such a square with Carl."

Rick tickled her, eliciting a squeal from her. "Hey now, I'm plenty cool, just a little behind some days."

She laughed and his tickling turned into a soothing calm of playing with her hair. His fingers dragged lightly across her blonde tresses, smoothing any tangles and only gentle tugs once in a while that weren't painful. The feeling was short of heavenly and she became quiet. As the show started, they both fell into what felt routine. Sitting on the couch with her head in his lap was like the most natural thing in the world, and Beth enjoyed that she felt this way with him, able to watch a show instead of wondering what his next move would be. Rick stayed ever the gentleman, his hand lightly petting her hair and sometimes barely dragging down her arm, but never straying, and his eyes remained focused on the screen in rapt attention.

Before she knew it, the first episode was over, but Rick stayed still and silent as the next one began automatically playing.

Then another.

One more yet, even.

The first four episodes flew by, neither wanting to leave. It wasn't until the fifth one was about to start that Beth's stomach gave a bit of a loud rumble. Rick laughed at the sudden sound while she blushed, embarrassed, but the setting sun outside showed just how late it had gotten.

"I think," he said as he grabbed the remote to pause the show, "that's a sign to take a break and get some food." He stretched his arms over his head, t-shirt riding up along and giving a glimpse of skin that she hungrily eyed while she maneuvered to sit up. He looked at her, head tilted to the side in concentration. "Do you like pizza?"

"Yes?"

"Well I didn't mean like Pizza Hut," he laughed. "There's a nice little place downtown called Grady's. They have a wheat crust and make specialty ones like a Mediterranean pizza, or buffalo chicken. They have plain pepperoni too, but I think you might like it."

"That sounds wonderful." She leaned in close to him. "Do they do margherita pizza?"

"In fact they do." He leaned in closer, so close that if either were to turn their heads just a few inches more, their lips would touch. He swallowed, breath warm and minty on her face. "How about I go grab that?" He leaned back, aware of just what boundary he was pushing, the thought of its implications crossing painfully clear on his face. He suddenly stood. "I could use a drink as well. Do you need anything else? Some aspirin?"

"If you could hand me a glass of water and my meds before you go, that'd be great," she replied.

He was back in moments with her requested items, fingers lingering on her hands and a promise that he'd be back soon, one she knew he intended to keep. Even when the door to her apartment was shut and several minutes had passed, she still felt confident in his return, though her mind was nagging about the one time in high school when Jimmy had said he'd be right back to get her when they were at a party, and had ended up ditching her for Melanie Ross (what a bitch), leaving her to find a ride home that evening.

Nearly half an hour later, there was a knock on the door as Rick announced himself before entering Beth's apartment, armed with a six-pack, bottle of wine, and a pizza box and another plastic bag.

"Sorry that took so long," he apologized as he placed the items by her, making room for the pizza on the table. "I wasn't sure if you'd want a drink either."

She noted that he had already had one beer. That was something she had noticed about him before, the drinking, though had never really commented on. Tara had told Beth that Rick had been well near an alcoholic before he had met her, usually buying a bottle of the hard stuff nearly every day when Lori first left him. However, since meeting Beth, he had cleaned up a lot of his act over the summer, mostly social drinking, though it was noted through the grapevine that he tended to swipe up a six pack or even grabbed a bottle of scotch on pickup and drop-off days involving his ex-wife.

"Thank you for thinking of me." Beth meant it. "And thank you for the pizza."

"This is nothing," Rick waved her off. He got her a slice of pizza, placing it on a paper plate that was in the plastic bag before giving it to her. He also poured her a small glass of wine in a plastic cup before serving himself and cracking open another beer. "Oh. And this doesn't count as our first date, either."

She clinked her plastic glass against his bottle. Everything felt right. "Deal."

 **Author Note** : Ooofta it's been a little while! I got stuck helping do a wedding photoshoot (money money make ya holla), and I'm trying to get my Twitch steam going: / sealeena (no spaces, it's a good one) - Twitch will hopefully prompt me getting back into shape and all that fun jazz. I'm only a chapter ahead now. I think I know where I want to take this, but I just. Have. To. Write. DAMMIT. Finding time for that is always a surprisingly tough one. I'm heavily into gaming as it is and there's the D&D Wednesdays with friends, and then my husband and I get to take our honeymoon this summer, so I'm just not around much lately. Thanks all for reading this. I would seriously appreciate some reviews (c'mon Brick fandom, I KNOW you're out there **hiding in the depths of Tumblr** ). Also, I promise they're gonna bang. I want them to bang. Love to all!


	6. Chapter 6

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, because of stufffff and thannggssss, but I am gonna make some totally hot people bang within the confines of my imagination. Thank you, freedom of speech. Thank you. God bless perverts._

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 6**

It was eleven at night before they both were too tired to continue. Beth had already fallen asleep several times throughout their impromptu _Daredevil_ marathon, though for only a few minutes at a time. Rick looked very tired, having polished off the rest of the pizza after Beth had a surprising three slices and drinking the rest of his beer with ease. They ended up cuddling as time had gone on, and Beth couldn't imagine a more perfect Sunday.

She yawned again and he then stopped the show, turning off the television.

"That's it." He rubbed at his eyes. "I've got work at six and I don't think I can make it anymore." With a groan, he gently dislodged himself from his position and stood up, stretching out the kinks in his body. "But I appreciate the company, very much."

She smiled and said, "Thank you, for everything. It was right nice of you to take me home and spend your day off with me. I'm sure you had better things to do."

"Beth." He leaned down, gently gripping her chin so she was forced to face him. His eyes burned with an intensity she was not familiar with. "There is nowhere else I would have rather been than here."

She could only nod to the honest admission, shocked by the sincerity of his words.

"Okay," was all she could say.

He gave a low chuckle, the vibration rumbling in his chest that she nearly felt it in such close proximity.

God, she wanted him to kiss her so badly.

Instead, he suddenly hugged her, large arms encircling her small waist. His hands were warm, callused, and she felt them on the bit of skin that was revealed when her top rode up slightly. She had her arms circled around his neck, pale and fragile compared to his tanner, masculine frame. Then, it was all over too soon, and she allowed herself to break away from him; but then, she grabbed his shoulders for a fraction of a moment so that she could boldly kiss his cheek, her lips grazing against the stubble of his skin. The point of contact was electric, her stomach churning, body threatening to break against her skin, and desire tingling at her breasts. The look she gave him was serious, pointed, the heat of passion unspoken shining in her eyes.

 _I want you._

Rick set his jaw, the tiniest nod in return. His pupils had exploded it seemed, the black bleeding into blue, his eyes suddenly stormy and oh so revealing with promises she knew he intended to keep. That darkness gave her a thrill, the fantasy of that face looking up at her from between her legs so strong and intense that a moan nearly escaped her.

"I'll see you around. Soon."

"Sounds good." She was breathless.

Then, he was gone, taking with him the trash from their pizza binge, bottles clanking in the other hand. He swiftly and quietly let himself out, looking back one more time with a bit of a smirk before softly closing the door and leaving her to the night, the light of a lone lamp her only company now.

For the first time in a while, Beth felt the very real need to touch herself for the sweet, aching rush of release.

With her crutches in hand, she set for her bedroom to do just that.

* * *

Morgan, manager of the Final Go Round, had of course heard about Beth's accident, and let her know that he was giving her the rest of the week off, no complaints. She needed to recuperate from her injury, but if she did feel up to it the week after, he'd be more than happy to have her take hold over the phone and help with inventory counts. She happily agreed to the compromise until her cast came off. While the clinic had health insurance coverage for employees, it was a $2500 deductible, and being stuck with a large bill was going to have a significant dent in her savings.

The vet clinic was accommodating as well. Her boss pulled her aside when she got to work and stated that her duties would be changing slightly until she was able to walk without crutches again in order to handle the animals that came in. However, things took a turn when everyone started treating her like glass, and all the flattery at the attention soon became an annoyance.

The week had dragged by without seeing or running into Rick, or hearing from him in some manner, something that left Beth in a sour mood come Friday night. Getting into her apartment and haphazardly trying to make dinner had her also grimly realizing that in the months they had known each other, they never exchanged cell phone numbers. She felt a little stupid for never making sure to get it, smacking herself on the forehead for extra measure.

She tried to calm down, reminding herself that Rick was a busy man, one who worked nearly around the clock, and he had some of his weekends with Carl on his precious time off. It was a mental scolding to herself that she should be patient. He wasn't out flirting with other women or anything, and he knew where she lived. She needed to be confident in the fact that Rick wanted to spend time with her and was one to properly court.

As she began cooking, the shrimp searing in the pan with melted butter and garlic, there was a sudden knock at her door.

"Coming!" she called out as she made her way over. Upon opening the door, she couldn't help but smile to see Rick, with Shane, following close behind. They were both in uniform, on duty it appeared. "Officers!" she exclaimed. "What can I help you out with tonight?"

"Miss Beth," Rick tipped his hat. "Just coming to check on you to see how you were doing. We were on break, figured we might drop on by. I've got Carl tomorrow morning through Sunday."

That last bit about Carl was clear to Beth that even though he was busy, she was on his mind. The relief was surprisingly sudden, a certain weight of tension immediately lifting.

"Glad we didn't have to put you down," Shane joked. "Looks like you're doing alright for a gimp."

"I'm gettin by just fine," she said as she went back to cooking her shrimp. "How long a break you boys got? Hungry?"

Rick began to shake his head, not wanting to impose, but Shane nearly pushed him into the apartment and stated, "Hell yeah, we are!" Rick glared at him, but Shane ignored the look, giving a low whistle as he took in his surroundings. "You run a tight ship, Beth. Don't think I've seen a place this clean in quite a while."

"That's 'cause you don't have a proper lady friend to help you out in that area," she quipped.

"Oh I do, I just ain't settled down yet."

"Who have you been seeing?" asked Rick, surprised. Normally, he and Shane tended to have no secrets, closer than most brothers. The fact that Shane was seeing someone and hadn't told him about it was odd. "I haven't heard about this lady friend."

"Oh I got a right to keep things private once in a while," Shane said dismissively with a wave of his hand. "So now, Beth. What's for supper?" The change in subject didn't allow for argument and Rick's mouth turned into a slight scowl, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

She pulled the rest of the shrimp from the freezer and began running it under cool water to thaw it. She made sure to fill a large pot of water for boiling, and brought out a bag of fettuccine noodles. Parmesan, cream, and butter were placed on the counter, along with several spices.

"Shrimp fettuccine alfredo alright?" She hummed a little as she added the rest of the shrimp to the pan.

"Sounds incredible," Rick said as he took off his hat and placed it on the table. "Do you need help with anything?" He came up to her, leaning in as he inhaled the scent of the shrimp cooking, hands coming to rest at the counter on both sides of her. She felt the goosebumps forming on her skin as his breath tickled at her neck. "It sure does smell good."

"All right I watch TV?" Shane called out from the couch as he grabbed the remote, putting his feet up on the coffee table and completely relaxed.

Rick quickly backed away and Beth inwardly cursed at the sudden loss.

"Of course," she answered Shane and then maneuvered her way around Rick to begin making the alfredo sauce. In a lower voice she said to him, "You can keep me company in here, if you like." Lord, she never felt so bold around someone before, but something about Rick wanted to make her take charge. The dance they'd been doing felt long and sweetly torturous as of late. The crush she had been nursing from the moment they met had built for months, and the fact that he returned the sentiment of attraction was a bonus ego boost. "Or you can go watch TV with Shane." However, she still felt somewhat shy, and had a feeling it would be that way until they went out on their date.

"I think you're the better deal." His hand went to her shoulder and across her back as he passed her to get to the noodles and sectioned off an appropriate amount before placing them in the now boiling water. "Besides, I've had years to hang out with Shane. I reckon I'll learn a few new things with you."

He leaned into her, the hard planes of his body pressing up against her lithe form. Beth felt hot, her head heavy, skin buzzing and too pressing.

"Oh I'm sure we'll teach each other a few things." The blush was quick to rise when she realized the implications that her words had and leaned away from him, thrown off balance in her mind. "Oh my gosh. I am so sorry. I didn't...I mean. Wow that was-"

He interrupted, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to seduce me."

She laughed. "Maybe a little."

* * *

Dinner was over all too soon when the men got a call on dispatch for a 'Code 37,' which Rick kindly explained to Beth was essentially a drunk and disorderly call. The men tried to at least rinse their plates, but Beth shooed them out, claiming she was perfectly capable of handling the dishes all on her own and that they needed to get back to their jobs.

Shane gave a quick thanks as he radioed back to dispatch that they were on their way. Beth went to turn back to clear the table, when she suddenly felt a gently tug on her arm. She turned back around to see Rick had reached out to her. His hat on his head, he looked all the part of the sheriff, though his hair was in need of a haircut, long and curly and slicked back. He didn't shave all the way, usually just trimmed his beard to keep from looking too unkempt. It made him look older, more wary and almost dangerous in a certain light.

"I'm sorry we took up your time like that," he apologized sincerely.

"Don't be," she scolded. "I enjoyed the company, even if there was one extra." The extra was emphasized with a shout for Rick to hurry his ass up. Rick chuckled. "Go on. I'll see you sometime." He nodded, a little uncertain. As he went to leave, Beth remembered something. "Wait!"

He looked back at her, slightly puzzled. "Something the matter?"

She grabbed a pen and paper by the doorway and quickly handed it to him. "I uhm...do you have a cell phone? That way, maybe you could text me sometime...call me to let me know when our date could be." She felt her cheeks flush at her babbling, embarrassed by the feel that she was in high school all over again.

"Of course." His hands were warm, slightly rough as they took the pen and paper from her. Hastily, he scribbled down his number. He then walked out the door, but not before gently caressing her cheek, thumb skimming along her lips. Her breath hitched. "Text me." And he tipped his hat and was gone.

Beth's heart was rapidly pounding in her chest, stomach fluttering, her face pleasantly burning where he had touched her. Never before had one man made her feel so...alive. It was incredible, and filled her with a vigor she had not been aware of.

She giggled. She honest to goodness giggled with girlish delight as she filled the sink with hot water and hand washed the dishes from dinner. She couldn't stop grinning as well, and it was the kind of grin that threatens to nearly split your face because you're just so gosh darn happy. It was like a high from too many energy drinks, she wanted to jump and squeal and felt she'd leap out of her skin at any moment. Oh God, why were the wonderfully honest and simple gestures from Rick so damn pleasing?

She finished the dishes, putting them in a rack by the sink to dry, feeling a little tired to take the effort of trying to put them away while hopping around. She used her crutches to get to her bedroom where her phone was, clutching the scrap of paper that had his number. She carefully set the crutches by her bedside before sitting at the edge of the bed and grabbing her phone.

 _ **Beth:**_ _Hi Rick. This is Beth Greene. Just thought I'd say hi so you have my #! - 8:45 PM_

She went to put her phone away, but then was surprised by the sudden vibration and notification sound.

 _ **Rick:**_ _Took you long enough. Been bored out of my mind - 8:47 PM_

 _ **Beth:**_ _Didn't you have a drunk person to take care of? - 8:50 PM_

 _ **Rick:**_ _Just local. Told him to calm down or its drunk tank - 8:52 PM_

 _ **Beth:**_ _I see. So what is going on then? - 8:53 PM_

 _ **Rick:**_ _Listening to Shane ask if we can recruit you for the summer end BBQ - 8:57 PM_

She felt flattered that her cooking was enjoyed, and also that she was considered being included in other events. The fact that Rick's best friend was essentially inviting her to spend time with them seemed like a good sign, that she might be approved and accepted among their fold.

 _ **Beth:**_ _I make a great rack of ribs and pecan pie - 9:00 PM_

 _ **Rick:**_ _Those are srsly my favorite 2 things - 9:01 PM_

She continued through the rest of the evening, texting him until his shift was over with and he was home in bed as well. They talked about where they should go for their date, what foods they liked and disliked (Beth loved fresh seafood, but hated certain cooked vegetables like cauliflower, while Rick was a carnivore with limited cuisine adventures and absolutely loathed pineapple), and Beth was surprised by the fact that Rick regularly used text speak in some variations. They talked about random things, debating on what would happen in _Daredevil_ , about movies coming out in the winter, and even talked about different things like her music and his newfound passion for gardening. It was only with the promise that he'd talk to her again soon that she fell asleep, content and wanted.

She also made a mental note to make Rick a pecan pie and drop it off at the station soon.

Just because.

 **Author Note:** I am like 2 1/2 chapters ahead, and trying to keep it that way so I don't fall into writer's block oblivion. Thank gawd for a lazy job that only requires me to truly bust my ass January - April. Taxes, man. We get 'em done! I'm flying out tomorrow for an annual outing to Indiana, but since I have a 6 hour layover tomorrow, I should maybe bring my laptop with. And write smut. In an airport. Speaking of smut, there's some smut in chapter 8 for sure! No penetration action, but the word cock is in there enough times to get you fanning yourself (George Takei: Oooohhh mmmyyy!), so be strong, my peeps! I'm trying to give you a slow burn read. It's all for the best, I promise. Btw, if you haven't go check out **Breath of Life** by Pretty Racing, the inspiration for this story and give her a read and some loving! I give her full credit on the start of this sucker, plot-wise, but I have definitely and officially branched away so I don't intrude on her territory.

As always, I really do appreciate fan-love. Give me your comments and give me your criticisms. I always appreciate any and all feedback :)


	7. Chapter 7

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, and they should have let me own something cause c'mon! I would have made that shit rock so much more, but oh well. Instead, we get this fun stuff to do instead ;)_

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 6**

Rick had the weekend off, but his time would be spent with Carl, a time that Beth did not want to intrude on. The man worked long, hard hours to pay for child support, as well as above that at Lori's insistence. He paid what was essentially alimony, though it was all under the table. Lori threatened Rick time and time again that if he didn't, she'd get Carl to say he didn't want to visit, and Rick was terrified of losing his son. The situation was normally tense, but in the end had reached some strange form of a truce, or as much a truce there could be, Rick had explained to Beth.

Problem was, Rick had been the one to up and divorce Lori. He had confessed to Beth that their marriage had been one big problem in the first place. He had never really been in love with the woman, had settled down out of respect and had an attachment to her. But when he found unknown texts from another man of a sexual nature, as well as the fact that she ended up pregnant with the confession of she wasn't sure if it was his or not, was the last straw, even if she did end up losing the baby through a miscarriage. Everything had gone too far and the affection was lost, any happy memories left in shambles.

He fought to keep the house that he bought with his hard earned money, a house that was his first major purchase after his car, and something he refused to give up. Aside from that and Carl, he let her take pretty much everything else, and oh boy, did she.

He confessed to a home without much of anything. Lori had taken it all: the dining room set, the living room set, pictures and albums, and even the television that Rick had bought for himself, a HD flat screen at a hulking 72", and much more. He let her take the things though, the guilt at breaking up their family and causing his son any sort of grief too much to bear.

Much of the situation had been revealed over the summer, during the conversations at the Final Go Round, when business was slow. He'd have his plate of food and beer in hand, while Beth would lean over the counter, usually stealing a bite or two of whatever he was eating without complaint. In hushed tones, he'd lean forward slightly so only she could hear, remorse thick in his voice, but he knew it was for the best. And then he'd look up at her with his sharp, blue eyes, smiling slightly before politely thanking her for her company and paying out for the night.

He had told Beth Saturday morning over the phone (while Carl still slept), "If you want to call any of this off before it starts, I understand."

"Wouldn't kill you to have a little faith," she had joked, laughing off his uncertainty. But then she had sobered to the situation. "Rick, I want this. If it had been me high off the meds at the hospital and I wasn't feelin it, I would have said something by now, promise."

"I guess."

"No guesses. Trust me. I want this. Besides, we haven't even had our date yet!"

"Oh about that. Are you free next Friday night? I think I can get off work early…"

The plan was dinner at the nicest place in town, a sit-down restaurant with cloth tablecloths and bread with dipping oil served upon seating. Rick had said it was called the Brickhouse, and of course Beth agreed, though told she didn't want him spending his hard-earned money if he couldn't truly afford it. He countered with that he was a grown-ass man and that she would let him spoil her with at least this one thing on their first date.

She had ended the conversation with a promise to bring him dinner during his Tuesday shift.

Beth had hung up, satisfied with a definitive day on when their date would be.

The idea of finally moving things forward with Rick was promising, very much so.

Her leg that was in the cast began itching.

Well, almost everything was promising.

There was a knock on the door (what wonderful timing!), and before she could answer, Tara burst into Beth's apartment, Amy following close behind, and Rosita tagging along after that. They were all armed with goodies of alcohol, snacks, and several DVD's. _Magic Mike_ was at the front of the movie stack and Beth almost laughed out loud at that. Amy was a die hard Channing Tatum fan, and usually liked to break out the movie whenever possible.

"We all got the day off!" Amy exclaimed as the other girls deposited their goods on the kitchen counter. "And you know what? We decided to grace you with our presence. You are so that special Beth. Just kidding. And I got _Magic Mike_ and both _Jump Street_ 's for you to enjoy cause seriously, Channing Tatum is sooooo hot, and like Rosita is gonna make us martinis and margaritas and Tara said she'll change out your windshield wipers cause you were saying that you needed to do that." She clapped her hands together once to signal the start of girls' day. "Okay, let's do this!"

"Beth, what are you having?" Rosita asked from the kitchen, as she searched the cupboard for glasses and mix ware.

"Can you just somehow whip me up a virgin daiquiri?" Beth inquired. "I'm more in the mood for snacks than booze."

"Not a problem!"

The clink of glasses, ice, and mixers in use was soon heard after. Tara came out of Beth's bedroom with all the blankets and pillows possible, soon making a comfy fort for the women, while Amy set up the television with the stack of movies in a particular order.

"Okay, I've got you set up to keep your leg elevated." Tara came over to where Beth was standing, taking the crutches from the blonde, and then sweeping her off her feet with a surprised shout from the surprisingly light girl. "Hey now, I gotta be chivalrous somehow." She swiftly carried Beth to the pillow fort, setting the other girl down gently on a makeshift bed and lifting the broken leg up to be propped on some pillows.

"Oh my God, Tara, you just gotta warn me next time. I might have peed myself," Beth laughed.

"It's okay, I used to work at the nursing home. We can get you some Depends if you need them," Amy joked.

"I'm pretty sure Rick would need them before me," Beth retorted.

"Oooohhhhh ho ho wait a minute. What was that?" Tara gave her a calculating look. "Have you hooked up with Officer Friendly and neglected to tell us? I swear to God Beth, if you are getting some and didn't even bother to text, I'm going to be super disappointed in our friendship."

"We haven't hooked up," Beth began. Amy and Tara leaned in expectantly. "...Yet." Beth bit her lip nervously. "But we're going on a date next Friday."

"Finally! You owe me $20 Amy!" Rosita shouted from the kitchen.

"Are you ladies betting on me?!" Beth asked in mock indignation. She giggled and threw a pillow at Tara. "I should have known better, the way you were pushing me on him. You all but thrust me onto him that night I was working."

"Oh come on, he was soooo sad and like totally turning into an alcoholic." Amy had the television on with the DVD menu up. "And then you come sweeping in a few months after his divorce gets finalized and like the next day the man shaves and oh c'mon we totally know that was to impress you. He didn't care before that and it was going to start going into Grizzly Man territory. That beard had a Tumblr following all its own, I swear to gawd! And he hardly drinks, cept when he sees Lori, but it's still tons better."

"What's a Tumblr?" Rosita asked as she entered the living room. She handed Beth the virgin daquiri, as well as a small plate of snacks. "Sounds pretty nerdy, especially for you Amy."

Amy scoffed. "A fangirl needs a place to rally with those who are like-minded." She grabbed the remote. "Now Rosita, where the hell is my drink? I'm ready to get my Channing Tatum on. Seriously, I don't care that he's married. He'll totally be my husband one day." The movie started, the film quickly turning to Adam answering the Craigslist ad for being a roofer, desperate for money. She sighed. "I forgot, they're all pretty damn hot in this movie."

"Fuck yeah, I forgot Olivia Munn was in this." Tara flopped down between Amy and Beth on the floor in what would be known as the Fortress of Fluffy for the remainder of the day. "That girl has a perfect pair of tits."

Rosita came in with the rest of the drinks and a tray of snacks, laid out in an appeasing manner. She lightly smacked Tara. "There's no reason to be so crude."

"Ahhhh, booze. Thanks!" Tara took a sip. She gave Rosita a pointed look. "And I'm not being crude, I'm just being straightforward. There's no reason to lighten up the language and beat around the bush when it's just us girls around.."

"I need to tell Abraham to stop hanging around you so much." Rosita grabbed her own drink. "You know what curse word he came up with last week?"

The women looked at her expectantly.

"Mother dick."

They all howled with laughter.

* * *

The evening was late, muggy and crickets chirped just outside Beth's apartment window. The girls were not as sober as they were when they first showed up, the first movie turning into a drinking game that all willingly threw themselves into. As each shirtless man appeared, the sips turned into full out chugging and before Beth knew it, her friends were drunker than she'd seen in a while.

Amy was a sleepy, happy drunk, loving and over the top and clung to Beth and Tara excessively. Rosita kept her manners in check, promising to be the designated driver, and had only a few shots of tequila to keep the edge off. Tara, meanwhile, had said screw it and been all over a bottle of scotch from the get-go, going through nearly the entire 1.75 and soon passed out for the evening. Beth, in all this, had taken a painkiller instead, and enjoyed food and non-alcoholic beverages.

All in all, it was a fun time, and Beth enjoyed the lazy day with her friends, something she had not done in a while. It was a Saturday well spent, and one she was a little sad to see over and done with. The ladies were soon having to pack up their goods, each one hugging and kissing Beth on the cheek, with promises to see her soon and well wishes that she would join as their cocktail waitress at the Final Go Round sooner rather than later.

"And I better be getting a call the morning after your date. I'd say right after the date, but you better be gettin some that night," Tara mischievously told Beth on her way out.

"I don't think that's gonna happen while this cast is on," Beth lamented.

"Oh hell no! Don't think like that. It's just gonna take some creative maneuvering. I suggest yoga."

And with that, Tara was playfully pushed out into the night, sing-songing Rick and Beth, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Beth couldn't help but laugh before closing the door on her now empty and lonely apartment. The ladies had been kind enough to clean up for her, but things felt barren and cold.

There was a beep from her phone.

 _ **Rick:**_ _So how has your day been? - 10:46 PM_

Beth smiled, feeling a rush go through her.

 _ **Beth:**_ _Nothin much. Girls just left. By myself atm. - 10:48 PM_

 _ **Rick:**_ _I know the feeling - 10:49 PM_

Beth gave a slight frown, a feeling in her stomach.

 _ **Beth:**_ _I thought you had Carl? - 10:50 PM_

 _ **Rick:**_ _He got invited to a sleepovr nxt door. Couldn't say no - 10:51 PM_

She sat on her couch, a very sudden, and very naughty, idea coming to mind.

 _ **Beth:**_ _Well if he's at a sleepover...maybe you shud cum ovr? - 10:53 PM_

 _ **Rick:**_ _Omw. Be there in 10 - 10:54 PM_

Beth nearly threw her phone down at that point and hightailed it for the bathroom. She took in her appearance, slightly disheveled, and not a lick of makeup anywhere to be found. Quickly, she almost quite literally threw her powdered foundation onto her face, trying to brighten up her eyes and give herself fuller lashes with her mascara. She was applying her lip gloss when there was a knock at the door.

"Just a minute!" she called out.

Deciding that nothing could be down to salvage her hair, she let the ponytail out and gave it a good tousle in hopes that it might fall into place (quite doubtful though, she had wild hair that almost always became a rat's nest), she hopped to her crutches by the bathroom door, before making her way as fast as she could to the door of the apartment.

She nearly flung the door open, trying to appear nonchalant and hide being out of breath by leaning up against the doorway, but failed in this aspect, and stumbled slightly. Rick gently grabbed at her waist to pull her up for proper balance. She noted how scrumptious he looked, hair slicked back some, a bit of stubble at his jaw, with just tight enough jeans and a flannel rolled up to show off his forearms.

She felt the delicious, fired spark rush through her at his touch.

"Hello," she said, mouth feeling dry. Rick looked down at her, a little oddly it seemed, his pupils looking like they had exploded, with barely any blue at the rims. She had only ever been slightly familiar with that look: primal, sexual hunger. "You okay?"

He shifted her closer, so that her crutches fell to the ground, clattering loudly, but they both ignored them. Her hands came to rest on his chest, fingers gripping his shirt. While his one arm held her firmly around her waist, his other snaked up her back until his hand was lightly gripping the back of her head.

"I'm fine," he said, voice husky and low. She could feel the muscle of his arms trembling slightly as he held her, a nervous energy that was contagious and had her licking her lips in anticipation. He seemed to hone in on that action. "I just needed to see you."

And then his lips came crashing down.

 **Author Note:** Thank you all for such lovely reviews! It makes me smile to know you read my crazy ramblings at the end. Okay, so I'm only just starting chapter 8, I'm not very far ahead. I'm sorry. I was finishing my summer semester and then July kicks off vacation month! I'm taking my daughter cross country with me to pick up my husband from the theater he's doing some work at and it's family vacay (it's been a month since I saw him, I'm getting desperate for a good lay). Then towards the end of July hubs and I get to go on our honeymoon...to Universal Studios (I'm totes an adult) and drinking and swimming and bad decisions! I'll try to take my laptop with me next week.

Side note: Next chapter involves super hot smexy times, but not like actual sex, but sexual acts that are just as delicious. I would know. I enjoy said sexual like acts. Also, Jurassic World. Go see that if you haven't. Raptor squad goals are my thing.


	8. Chapter 8

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, because if I did, oh man...there would be way more sexual things happening in that show mwahahahaha - instead, enjoy the sexiness that is fanfiction!_

 **Warning** : Sexual situation. Mmmmm steamy.

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 8**

Rick was kissing her.

Rick. Was. Kissing. Her.

Beth Greene. He was kissing her, Beth Greene, and she was the luckiest woman in the world, she felt.

Oh dead Lord, and what an amazing kisser he was! His lips were hot, firm, hungry, and devouring her mouth as if he'd been starved for years. Their teeth nearly clashed, and his tongue danced with hers enticingly. She was being explored by this man in the best way possible, but it wasn't enough, she wanted more. The flirtatious dance that had been happening for months felt like such a long wait, too long, and she wanted it to be over with now.

It felt like ages until they broke apart from the kiss, but it was far from over. He peppered a trail of kisses along her skin, starting with a gentle tug at her earlobe before making his way down her neck, his teeth lightly scraping along the skin, and she felt a spark of pleasure at the sensation, giving an, "Ah!" as she arched her body into his.

His hands trailed along her body, gently gripping her waist as he nearly dragged her into the apartment, mindful to shut the door with a good kick. From there, he pressed her to the nearest surface, the kitchen counter, and she laid back a little to be more comfortable. She ripped at his shirt, silently thanking the fact they were snaps instead of buttons as it fell open, and slid her hands up along his chest. She appreciatively noted the smattering of hair along his body, with a just thick enough treasure trail going down into his pants, accentuated by the V curve of his hips. Rick nearly tore Beth's t-shirt off her, hands grazing her skin in the most appealing way, and his roughness against her smoothness was electrifying.

He cupped her breasts gently, thumbs swiping across her hardened peaks that strained against the fabric of her bra. She moaned, grinding against his leg that was wedged between hers, and he groaned in response, tugging her bra down impatiently, hotly kissing the mounded flesh. Teeth and tongue tugged and sucked at her nipple with just enough force, while one hand tweaked the other peak. She ran her fingers through his thick hair before pulling him up to kiss him again, desperate and wanting.

"Beth," he murmured her name like a prayer, and she replied in kind with his breathlessly.

There was no turning back.

With an expert quickness, her bra was off and he pressed his body to hers as he kissed her a little more slowly to prolong the moment. Her hands explored his back, nails gently scraping along as they trailed down to grip his firm ass.

And then, the Imperial March from Star Wars came from Rick's pocket.

He broke away from Beth and swore profusely.

"Who gets the honor of being your Darth Vader?" She tried to lighten the moment, though her body physically ached for his, and the needful throbbing between her legs was almost painful in her want.

Rick coughed to clear his throat, embarrassed. "My ex."

Beth would laugh if it wasn't for the fact that Rick's ex-wife had interrupted her extremely hot and intimate moment with him. However, she nodded at him in support to show she wasn't angry, smiling encouragingly so that he swiftly answered. She imagined that Lori was most likely calling about Carl.

"Hello?" Rick seemed to be keeping his voice pleasant for the most part, though the tension in his body was clear. Beth leaned in slightly, and only heard snippets, something involving Carl, softball, and earliness. "Lori, he's my son too, and that's before your pickup time. If he's gotta start a game that early, then I can take him, it's not a problem."

Beth caught a raised tone in irritation from Lori along the lines of, "I want to talk to Carl and he can decide. I had this planned for weeks, Rick, weeks!"

Rick took the phone away from his ear and muttered angrily, "Fucking kidding me," before he brought the phone back up to him. He closed his eyes, regaining his composure. "Carl isn't with me, he's at a sleepover next door."

"You go next door and get him then, I'm sure he's up." Not wanting to hear the loud anger of Lori right next to his ear, he placed the call on speaker and mouthed a 'sorry' to Beth.

She nodded and made to leave, in order to give him his privacy, but he grabbed her wrist gently and said, "No. Stay. Please."

The look in his eyes had her whispering, "Yes."

"Are you with someone right now?" Lori shrieked. "I can't believe you, Rick! Is this that new girl in town, that one that got hit by the car? Beth? I don't care if Carl's at a sleepover, you having some little fling or whatever at your place is completely unacceptable behavior. And her?! Really! She's how much younger than you? You're sick, Rick, sick!"

Beth saw the snap and was completely helpless to stop the following words that tumbled out of Rick's mouth. "You know what, Lori? I don't care what 'behavior' you think is okay or not. Carl is an old enough boy that if his father decided to date again, it's not the end of the world. And Beth is not over at my place, I'm over at hers."

"How da-"

"Woman, I am not finished!" he barked out. It quieted Lori quickly enough at the uncharacteristic outburst. "I think I'm old enough that if I found a beautiful, kind, and smart woman that I am very interested in, then I am also old enough to know better than to parade any relationship I may or may not have in front of my son, whom I have the utmost respect for, when it's just starting fact that I have met such a wonderful woman, I'm sorry, is none of your goddamn business. Now, it is my legally scheduled time with my son this weekend, and he wanted to go to a sleepover, so I have let him. He is safe and happy with the ability to contact me in case of an emergency, and that's all that should matter to you. I am going to take him to his softball game tomorrow morning and you're welcome to cheer him on. When four PM rolls around, you are allowed to have him back since that is the court mandated time."

Rick stared at Beth with such an intensity, that the negative tension was nearly cleared until Lori spoke, furious indignation clearly present in her voice.

"Rick Andrew Grimes, you sonofabitch."

"Good night, Lori," and he hung up the phone. His shoulders sagged, eyes sad. "Beth." During that time, neither had necessarily acknowledged their half nakedness, but now, when he brought her close for a hug, they were both painfully aware of their bare flesh. He sighed into her neck, lips ghosting along the curve presented there. "I'm sorry you heard that." He leaned back a little. "I'm sorry I ruined the mood."

"Don't be sorry for someone else's actions," she replied. She let her hands lazily stroke along his bare skin, quite aware of the growing bulge in his pants. "'Sides, I recover pretty quickly." She looked down pointedly. "Looks like you did, too."

He chuckled. "A little." He kissed her once before pulling back. "But, I wasn't planning on consummating this all the way tonight." However, before she could give a protest, he kissed her again, hard and with intention. "I'm not leaving you high and dry though, trust me." He picked her off the counter, mindful of the cast, and kissed her as he carried her to her bedroom. Laying her out on the bed, his expression became concerned a moment. "Is this okay?"

Her answer was to reach out and grab him, kissing him with all her might as her hand rubbed at his erection through his jeans. "Rick, if we don't do something tonight, I'm probably going to go mad."

Without any further prodding, he kissed his way lazily down her body, callused hands exploring her soft skin. His hands were then tugging at her shorts, sliding them off slowly, though it took them a few moments of wrangling to get it around her cast. When he realized that issue, the panties quickly followed, and Beth was laid out completely nude for him. When he spread her legs, she shied slightly, but then propped herself up on her elbows so she could witness his actions, blushing all the while.

His lips were like the match to a liquid fire that ran straight to her core. As they neared closer to the apex between her legs, she felt her body quiver in anticipation. He hooked her good leg up onto his shoulder, long and nimble fingers tracing down her body until he gently spread her lips so that she was fully bared for him. She gasped slightly and his eyes were so intense that when he first licked at her slit, she swore she might cum right then and there.

Beth tilted her head back and moaned loudly at the sensation as Rick's talented tongue probed at her. The warmth was incredible, and she jumped when his tongue circled around her clit a few times before settling as he sucked and then inserted a finger into her.

"Oh Rick," she said breathlessly, and he inserted another finger with the first, pumping in and out at a pace that had her close much quicker than she thought possible. "Oh fuck I wanna cum."

He gently bit at her inner thigh, thumb replacing his tongue on her clit and she could see the struggle in him. "God dammit Beth." He kissed her skin hotly and she could see the lust in him as he looked back up at her. "You taste so fucking good."

She had never been one to talk dirty in the past, but the way he made her body sing, she found the deliciously filthy words tumbling out of her mouth. When he gave right back, telling her how she tasted, she nearly swooned, feeling a rush of moisture spill out, and he was lapping it up like a man starved. Her legs trembled even more as she felt what was the start of a powerful orgasm.

"Rick," she whispered. "Oh fuck, Rick. Please. Please!"

"Please what?" He emphasized his naughtiness with another kiss, gently blowing on her, the cool air a sudden, shocking sensation to her core. "Tell me what you want."

"I wanna cum," she whimpered. "Please let me cum."

"I got you, baby girl," he said roughly, and went back to eating her out with a wild abandonment that had Beth spiraling to orgasm within what felt like a pleasurable eternity. She bucked slightly and he held out a hand across her stomach to keep her in place, mouth still on her clit so that the warmth from his tongue and mouth helped keep her in a pleasured state as she was brought down from her high. When she finished, he licked her clean, enjoying the taste of this beautiful woman in his mouth. "You good?"

Her hair was fanned out on the bed so it was a like a halo encompassing her head. A slight sheen of sweat shone on her forehead. She gave Rick a lazy smile and beckoned at him with her finger. He crawled up her and kissed her so that she could taste herself on him. Then, she tugged at his jeans, unzipping them and pulling down as far as she could in her position.

"Your turn." She grinned. However, there was the problem of her leg. She thought a moment before saying, "Take off the rest of your clothes." While he rolled off to quickly do that, she propped herself up with the rest of her pillows so she was slightly up. "Come here."

Fully naked, Rick straddled Beth so that his cock stood at attention directly in front of her. She saw that he was nervous, a man that was used to giving, but not to taking, and she smiled at him encouragingly as her hand came up to grasp his length. It was of a decent size, though the girth of his member was what surprised her. Her sister Maggie had always complained that the taller that men got, the more disappointing their package. Beth had no complaints. Rick wasn't that tall of a man, just topping off at 5' 10", but she was a little happy that there weren't any disappointments in the size department. However, if his oral skills had anything to say about the main event, she doubted there would be any problems.

Slowly, she took him into her mouth, unfortunately not able to go all the way. She hadn't been with too many men, but he was definitely among the largest, and she found her lips stretching to accommodate him, trying to take as much into her throat without gagging. She noticed that he tried to keep his hips still, respectful of her, and had a hand held to her head, fingers tangled gently in her hair so that he would not pull or force her into any awkward positions.

She encouraged a faster pace by bobbing her head on him more fully, using her hands to grip his shaft and tease at his balls. His hips moved slightly and she admired his restraint as she continued to lick and suck her way along his shaft.

Rick looked down at her and she saw the slack jawed reaction of his to her actions, and hoped she was giving him a show-stealing blowjob. His grip on her hair tightened slightly and he moaned some, louder than she expected, and her hands scratched along his backside, firmly gripping his ass before giving it a bit of a slap. His gasp sent a jolt of pleasure straight through her, and she quickened her pace yet again.

"I'm gonna cum soon," he grunted, and just a few seconds later he did. Beth kept going, swallowing his seed and taking a long, slow suck to get as much as possible. When she opened her mouth to lick him clean, he groaned again with pleasure at the sight of her taking in all his cum. "Oh fuck."

His body spent, Rick sat back slightly and she took a moment to ogle his physique. It didn't matter that the man was well into his thirties, he was so beautiful. Full of hard lines, hair, and pure masculine strength, Rick was definitely a sight to behold.

He got off Beth then, mindful of her cast, and grabbed a blanket that had fallen to the floor. He lay next to her, covering them both with the blanket, and she snuggled into his chest, slightly surprised at the post coital cuddling. However, she was a little more shocked at the turn of events in general. In all honestly, she expected a full-blown makeout session with some heavy petting. She wasn't disappointed, though. Far from it, in fact. Their flirtatious dance for the entire summer had been maddening, and something had needed to happen to prevent her from fucking him senseless and vice versa.

"That was, incredible." Rick had a goofy smile on his face, lazy and content. He looked down at her. "You're incredible." He pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head.

"All I can say is I really wish I had this darn cast off." She laughed.

"It took a little creative maneuvering, but I think it was worth it."

"Are you okay with how things moved?" There was a tone of uncertainty in her voice. "I mean, we've known each other a little while, but I don't wanna ruin anything. I don't want you thinking I'm the kind of girl that just falls into bed and-"

"Beth," he interrupted gently. He then gently grabbed her chin so that she had to look up at him. "I'm the one who initiated the whole thing. And I don't know about you, but I'm thinking we're taking it just fine, considering I wanted you the day I met you."

"You best be careful with what you say, you're gonna make a girl fall for you if you keep that up."

He kissed her gently. "That's what I'm hoping for."

 **Author Note (long one):** I enjoy myself good smut, I really do, but I've never been one to write it. Sooooo...if I did an absolutely horrid job, let me know. Because I plan on them having sex, ALL THE SEX. I am both sides of fanfiction: I want my OTP's to have cute and cuddly moments and cook together, but I also want them to fuck like horny rabbits. Also, for anyone saying Lori is OOC, I apologize. I am taking her nastiness from personal experience. I've been on all sides of child custody issues. My mother is remarried and my stepfather's ex was totally batshit crazy on us and I will probably draw on some of that for Lori in this. I've also dated single fathers (1 who had custody of his children, another who fought to see his son) and I myself was a single mother until getting married last September to give my daughter a wonderful stepfather. So a lot of these scenarios will be definitely coming from truth, I hope that's not a problem. I might be focusing on some of it in upcoming chapters. If anyone also runs into these issues with blended families and needs to talk, I am available. A more important note, this now catches me up in my writing. I'm about halfway through chapter 9, I'm sorry!

I'm leaving today to go pick up my husband, yay! And we'll be gone for family vacation so I'm ditching the laptop at home to have as little electronics as possible for family bonding :D Please review, leave constructive criticism, whatever your deviant little heart desires! I love you all and thanks for the support so far, it's great hearing from others. Have a lovely 4th!


	9. Chapter 9

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, seriously. Instead, I do this stuff, because this is fanfiction, and this is the stuff that is so much better than cannon some days :D_

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 9**

Beth had always been a morning person, the naturally cheerful kind that normally didn't need coffee to make her functional. So, when the sun started to shine through the curtains, Beth awoke quickly. She turned to see Rick still asleep, his features peaceful, almost making him look boyish in the new light.

She couldn't stop smiling.

Rick had really taken a step forward in their relationship last night, and she felt comforted by the fact that such an amazing man wanted her. In high school and the first two years of college, she had always been the good, church choir girl, religious and had to do everything right. That changed when she dated Zach, a bit of a stoner with his own set of insecurities and selfishness. She had learned a lot about herself when with him, mostly what to not look for in a guy, and it made her realize that she had a bit of an old soul. With that came the want of being wooed, to have a man properly court her.

Even though Rick had yet to take her out on an official date, he had been nothing but a gentleman to her from the beginning. Helping her when she broke her leg only sealed the deal, showing her what an incredibly thoughtful man he was.

Rick shifted in his sleep, and he suddenly came to, jolting out of bed and startling Beth.

"What time is it?" he asked somewhat frantically.

She rolled over to her phone to check the time. "About six fifteen," she answered.

He groaned, rubbing at his eyes. "I shouldn't stay late. Carl has a softball game at nine today that he forgot to tell me about." He looked at her, taking in her appearance and Beth felt self conscious for a moment until he gave the most wonderful smile, making her feel more amazing than she thought possible. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Morning." She leaned over and kissed him. "Can I at least make you some breakfast before you go?"

"Only if you want to, and if it's not too much trouble." He indicated to her cast. "You still got a bit yet in that thing, you sure I can't maybe make something?"

"Rick Grimes, I am a fully independent and capable woman." She playfully slapped at his chest, and he grabbed her hand quickly to pull her up to him. He kissed her long and slow, deep and explorative, and she couldn't help but moan in pleasure. "Let me do something nice for you. I want to."

She got up, grabbing a t-shirt from her dresser drawer before making her way to the kitchen, sliding it over her. She looked back and caught Rick staring at her intently.

"What?"

"Oh nothing." He stretched. "Just know if you're not gonna wear panties, I may not be able to stop myself."

Beth felt her jaw go slack. "I, uhm…." she started leaving the room. "...maybe I don't want you to stop yourself."

She hurried to the kitchen, blushing all the while at the fact she had acted so boldly. Rick was a little slow to follow, and she had meant it when she said she wanted to make him breakfast, pulling out eggs and bacon.

He looked good in her kitchen, having put his pants on, though not zipping them up yet, and they fell low on his hips. For a man his age, he was in better shape than most guys that were Beth's age. She enjoyed the hair on his chest, and the treasure trail that started below his belly button to climb down. He had a slight six pack, and the size of his arms indicated lean strength over gym workouts, something she could definitely appreciate.

"You get me a pan from over there, please?" She indicated to a cabinet while he complied. He handed the pan to her. "Thank you." Then, his arms slid around her waist, his lips at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Her skin felt on fire. "Well if you don't let me get breakfast started, there won't be time to have any."

"What if I just have you for breakfast instead?" he asked, voice low and rough.

She felt a hum of pleasure course through her as he gently began to kiss her skin,nipping lightly every few kisses. Her good leg trembled and she struggled to stand upright, leaning slightly against the kitchen counter for support. His hands squeezed her ass and then drifted down and towards the front, fingers skimming tantalizingly along her thighs.

It was then that Rick's phone of course rang again, but at least this time it didn't involve a certain ringtone.

"That would be Carl," he sighed.

Though it was slightly disappointing to be left hanging, she nodded understandingly. "Better go get it, then."

He ran to the bedroom to quickly answer. Beth could hear the smile in his voice as he talked to his son. She tried not to listen in on his conversation, valuing the worth of privacy, and quickly set to making breakfast. She had the bacon finished and was starting on the eggs when he came out, this time with his shirt on, buttoning it up as we walked closer to her.

"I gotta get going soon. I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Oh it's fine. Don't worry," she chided. She grabbed some bread and popped it into the toaster. "Wait five minutes though, and I can at least have you out the door with a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, k?"

He kissed her on the cheek, smiling. "You sure I deserve you? Cause I don't know how it happened."

She turned around after putting the eggs and bacon on his sandwich and cutting it in half, staring up at him intently. "You don't realize how special you really are, do you?"

Rick had the grace to blush slightly, and looked away from her penetrating stare, feeling exposed. It took him a moment, but he finally took her in, noting the sincerity shining brightly in her statement and its meaning floored him.

Lori had never been one to make Rick feel special. She had always been a woman that was quick to argue and point out faults, rather than lifting him up, even when they had first been dating. He had been the quiet one, supportive and head bowed, never thinking that a woman could or even should make him feel like Beth was right now. There hadn't been a real reason in his life to stand up for anyone or anything. Even during the divorce with Lori, he had only made sure to hang onto a few key items (such as the house), and letting her take everything else with her, just to appease her. But Beth...Beth made him feel different, and he was finding he liked this feeling.

He felt important.

He felt...wanted.

He felt needed.

It was nice, being wanted. Being important to someone again was a bit thrilling (Lori had snubbed him for years, and Carl was a pre-teen, totally couldn't rely on Dad now, could we?), and all he could do to such an honest question was to lean down and capture Beth's lips with his own.

The kiss was slow, with a promise of more in the future. He took control by gently tugging at her hair, teeth scraping across her bottom lip. She was putty in his arms, conforming and willing in giving herself to him. She was an addictive drug to him this way, pliant and full of desire, it was almost overwhelming in its intoxication.

He felt the telltale stirring in his pants and pulled away from her, noting her now swollen lips and the fact that her pupils were large, black bleeding into blue. She looked hungry and dazed at the same time, cheeks flushed with desire and bedroom hair framing her delicate face in a pleasingly wild tangle.

"I really, really like you," she suddenly blurted. Once her body seemed to catch up with what she just blurted, Beth threw her hands over her mouth with a meek 'eep' and a blush of embarrassment. "I mean, oh gosh….that sounds terrible. I meant-"

"I like you like you," he gently teased. He gently took hold of her hands, placing a kiss on each palm. "Beth, you're fine. I'm fine. This is all fine. I promise."

She nodded, mouth dry.

Sighing, he let go, straightening out his rumpled clothes as best as he could, retrieving his keys from his pocket. "I gotta get going though, but I want to see you again, soon." He gave her a look that went straight to her core. "I mean it."

"Okay." Her voice was soft, a little breathless. She turned away for a moment and when she turned back, she handed him his breakfast sandwich, all wrapped up and ready to go. "I hope you have a good day." She smiled before standing on her tiptoes on the one foot to give him a quick kiss.

"You do too, okay?" He couldn't help himself and had to kiss her once more, just to let her know that he really did want to spend more time with her, that he wasn't just running out. The way she leaned into him felt like she probably understood. "I'll call you later." He gently stroked her face once.

"Sounds good."

And then he was gone, her front door clicking into silence as he closed it behind him, and she suddenly felt more empty than ever.

* * *

 _ **Rick:**_ _Mondays are rly boring now - 9:15 AM_

 _ **Beth:**_ _Well I got just the thing for you ;) - 9:17 AM_

 _ **Rick:**_ _? - 9:18 AM_

 _ **Beth:**_ _It's a surprise :P - 9:19 AM_

 _ **Beth:**_ _But you'll find out around lunch! - 9:19 AM_

Sunday afternoon turned out to be more productive than planned. Beth ended up making a quick trip to the grocery store not long after Rick had left, and had gotten the ingredients she needed to make her top secret pecan pie that her mother had taught her. It was a Greene family traditional dessert, one that she felt right by letting Rick partake of.

In order to get the pie to her car before work, she made sure to have a system in place by finding an old purse that was big enough to hold said pie, lining the interior with old flour sack rags for protection. That way, she could have the bag hang comfortably on her when she walked. She realized that with her crutches, she looked completely ridiculous. Unfortunately, she realized said ridiculousness as she was making her way into the station during her lunch break, hair a little frazzled and still in her vet tech scrubs. Too late to back out of her plan now, she took a deep breath as she made her way to the front desk that was in view of the door.

A thin woman with smooth, dark skin, sat at the front desk, familiar looking but not quite placed in Beth's mind at the moment. Her black hair had a bit of its own life with natural curls and frizz that wanted to bounce everywhere, kept as tame as possible with a sensible ponytail pulling everything back and held into place. She was on the phone, but her warm, brown eyes caught sight of Beth as the blonde struggled to get through the door between her crutches and haphazard pie carrying system.

The darker woman quickly got off the phone and ran over to help Beth, concern evident on her features.

"You okay, hon?" she asked Beth as they made their way over to the chairs in the lobby.

"Oh yeah," Beth sighed. "These crutches just make things really hard to do normal things." She sat the pie bag down on a chair, relieved to be rid of the bulk. "Thanks, it's a little tough to walk around with that."

"What is that?" the woman indicated to the bag, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Oh uhmm, this is a pie, for uhm….for Rick. Rick Grimes," Beth stuttered, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She was out of her element, having never been to her boyfriend's work before. Wait, was Rick her boyfriend? They hadn't even gone on a date yet! Why was she making such assumptions? It didn't seem right. It seemed a little clingy. Was she being too clingy. "Is he here?" Her voice came out as a squeak, nervous from the sudden thoughts that had invaded her.

"You must be Beth." The woman smiled, clean and dazzling teeth bright against her darker features. She laughed at Beth's confused look. "I'm Sasha. Tyreese is my brother."

"Oh my gosh, Sasha. I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you. I've seen you in a few times, but I guess I just didn't place it. How are you?"

"I'm fine, and no need to apologize. You got hit by a car what, like two weeks ago? You've had a lot going on." Sasha helped get Beth into one of the chairs to be comfortable. "Sit down and rest a moment. Rick's just in the back with Shane filing some paperwork. I'll go get him for you." She went to walk off before turning around quick and giving a wink. "I suppose you're the reason he's been so crabby all day, he's been waiting for you to get here."

Sasha walked off, leaving Beth alone with her tumultuous thoughts. Things Saturday had progressed much faster than she thought they would, but that wasn't what worried her. What worried her was that she was thinking too much about what had happened, put too much stake on it. Yes, Rick seemed to be the monogamous type, but it still wasn't right making any assumptions.

The click of boots on tile broke her out of her thinking and she looked up to see Rick making his way to her, a slight smile on his face, eyes bright and happy. Beth rose as fast as she could to meet him, and he gently held her up so that she was forced to lean on him.

She couldn't help but smile.

"Okay, I know you said surprise, but I must admit this is much better than anything I could guess." His thumbs stroked comforting circles along the bare skin of her arms, corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "What brings you here on your break, Miss Beth?"

She hugged him then, sudden and crushing in the best of ways. He gathered her up in his arms, taking in her scent and uncaring of who might be watching. This woman was wonderful, and he would not do anything that would be negative in response to her affection.

When they broke away, she gave him a bit of a mischievous look. "I made you a pie."

"Is that Pecan?!" Shane shouted from around the corner. Rick and Beth turned to see that both Shane and Sasha had been staring from afar. "Rick, I hope you're in a sharing mood!"

Rick laughed. "I'll bring it back to y'all." He waved them off. "Now shoo, I wanna have a moment!" Somewhat alone again, Rick looked at Beth affectionately. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," she replied. "And it wasn't any trouble."

"You're spoiling me, Beth." He had her face in his hands ever so gently. "I'm going to kiss you now."

She happily nodded before he did and it felt right: simple and sweet. All too soon he was pulling away, clearly a little uncomfortable with too much PDA in his place of work, though Beth understood it perfectly. She was happy for the kiss, feeling warm and butterflies storming her stomach, making her feel almost high with giddiness.

"Just four more days til Friday, huh?" she joked, a little breathless.

"I can't wait," he said. He grabbed the pie for her so she wouldn't have to carry it. "Now, let's go eat this. I'm sure Shane is just dying for a slice."

 **Author Note:** I'm sorry if the chapter ended awkwardly/sort of weird. I was wanting to skip to date night for the next chapter :D Oh yea, date night is coming up. Here is the first sentence for the next chapter: _The big day was here: Friday._ More fluffy feels! By the way, thanks to all for the wonderful reviews so far. I really appreciate them and I'm sorry I haven't replied, but know I read them all and take them all to heart! Family vacation was okay, my husband and I haven't had a moment alone together and 2200 miles turns out to be a real bitch to travel, especially with overbearing father-in-laws, hectic schedules, and just plain chaos. We are looking forward to our Florida trip the 22nd so much more. It's just a chance to go on an adventure alone together, something we always enjoy doing. We're explorers and foodies, so much of our relationship has been getting lost together and trying out tasty eats in lost places! I'm hoping to crank out chapter 10 by next week and get 11 mostly done. I have a general idea of where the story is headed, but I'm letting it take its own pace for the most part. I've found when stories take on their own life, that's when things really happen. I also haven't really written a cutesy story like this before, so it's definitely not my style territory. I'm usually more action/angst/violence and crap.

 **Also:** I created a Bethyl story! Check it out on my profile: When You Care - this will be violent and angsty and all kinds of good things. It's the one I'm really going to sink my teeth into. Blackbird Singing is fun and nice, though challenging in its own right. However, I'm hoping to make them very different stories. When You Care will be definitely focusing on Beth and her Season 2 personality clashing with Daryl's personality that will be a mix of Season 1 and 3 and blossoming from there. Just...go give it a read. I hope you like it. Love you all!


	10. Chapter 10

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, seriously. Instead, there is fanfiction. Fanfiction is love. Fanfiction is life. Repeat after me..._

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 10**

The big day was here: Friday.

Beth had found it hard to concentrate at work. She was mobile enough with her crutches now that she could help out with smaller errands for her boss besides desk work. She enjoyed being able to move and be an asset again. However, today had been an exception of looking at the clock and practically begging for it to be 5.

When she was finally able to leave, she was changing clothes as fast as possible, having picked out her dress the night before after what felt like hours of careful consideration. It was a simple maxi, pale pink with spaghetti straps and an empire waist, the material gauzy and breezy. A slit up the side helped with the cast issue, making it easy enough for her to use her crutches.

She decided to spend her time putting on makeup and doing her hair. She attempted to to curl her blonde tresses so that it would cascade in waves around her. Makeup was carefully applied: foundation, liquid eyeliner, mascara, blush, highlighter and contouring...Beth felt a bit like a movie star when she finished off the look with a bold lipstick.

To pass the time, she transferred key items from her purse to a small clutch that her sister had gotten for her the previous Christmas. It was a little gaudy for Beth's tastes, but Maggie had meant well enough and Beth was always grateful for any gifts she received.

After hair spraying her hair in place once more and making sure her breath was fresh, there was a knock at her door. She answered it and her jaw nearly dropped.

Rick was at the door, holding a bouquet of roses, and looking particularly handsome. He wore a dark, charcoal gray suit that fit him just right. His shirt was a cream color with very subtle purple plaid across it, and a thin blue tie that completed the outfit. His hair, curly, was slicked back, with just enough stubble that had Beth aching to feel its roughness on her skin again.

His smile was dazzling and she felt her heart skip a beat, almost painfully tightening afterwards.

"Good evening." His voice was low, deep, with just that bit of roughness she liked. He must have taken a nap as he had got shafted with an emergency overnight situation on Thursday. However, his stare at her was primal, and she felt the warmth pool low in her. "You look so beautiful."

"Please, come in." She used her crutches to maneuver to the kitchen for her vase.

"Beth, don't trouble yourself, I can get these in water for you," he said once he saw what she was grabbing. He gently, but firmly took the vase from her. He quickly filled the vase with water before putting the roses in it and setting it on the counter. "By the way, these are for you." He winked.

"They're beautiful." She inhaled the scent. They were like a fine tea, light and fragrant. "And they smell amazing. Thank you. You didn't have to get me anything."

His hand skimmed along her shoulder and down her arm until he took hold of her hand. "Beth…" His voice forced her to look at him and stare into his eyes, brilliant and clear like the skies above, intense and piercing. "I want to make this special. I want to do right by you, so please let me be a gentleman for you."

That painful tightening in her heart came back a moment, making her breath hitch, and she was afraid to identify what it was, because she shouldn't be feeling such things for a man that she had known only a few months and recently become romantically attached to.

"You already are, Rick."

And then they were ready to go.

The ride to the restaurant was mostly quiet and simple. Rick helped Beth into his pickup truck, having made the leg room more spacious for her ahead of time so she could easily get in and out. It was a pleasant drive, the air outside hot, but not muggy, so they rolled the windows down and enjoyed the breeze and sights of rural small-town Georgia.

The Brickhouse was in old downtown King County, which had attempts at revitalization, but wasn't necessarily bustling. Downtown, the town was all brick and cobblestones, busy on weekend nights, but not much during the day or the week. Yearly, there were certain events that would shut down a block or two, especially in the summertime, and it was such things that kept businesses going.

In fact, Beth had attended the Roughrider Days that ran from mid-June up to the July 4th weekend, and Alive at 5 on Thursdays were interesting. That involved local vendors setting up shop along the blocked off pavement, bartending, pictures, and usually a local band singing, or the dance academy showing off their skills. Many times, Tara and Amy had begged Beth to sing, but each time she refused, still afraid she might mess up. She loved to sing, but in front of a crowd of people, it was still a different thing, even though that night at the Final Go Round had showed her tremendous support and applause for her gift.

Tonight, they had to park a few blocks away, and Rick made sure to open Beth's door for her and assist her out onto the sidewalk. He stayed close to her, mindful that she wouldn't stay close to the street and she felt more like a bodyguard was escorting her at one point, until she caught his gaze and it made her cheeks bloom with color. There were people, locals, that caught sight of them, and would whisper to each other.

 _"Look, there's Rick."_

 _"Who's he with?"_

 _"That Beth?"_

 _"Oh my gosh, isn't he old enough to be her dad?"_

 _"Should have known...maybe that's why Lori left him. He's a degenerate or sumthin."_

 _"I bet she seduced him. Rick is too nice."_

 _"Little hussy." "The nerve." "Wait til Lori hears." "Can you believe it?"_

The sounds died when Rick placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, holding the door open for her that led into the restaurant. She smiled at him, the gossip becoming nothing but white noise, barely that even. They were in a quiet place, dark with candle lit table tops for ambient lighting. Jazz music played in the background, loud enough to add to the atmosphere, but still quiet enough that couples could talk in low voices without worry.

The hostess at the front smiled warmly at them. "Welcome. Did you have a reservation?" When they came in view of the lamp that illuminated the stand, her smiled widened as she recognized them. "Oh! Rick! Hi!" She was an older woman, slim, with gray hair and bright, blue eyes. "Should have known it'd be you. And this must be the new girl I've been hearing about around town. Beth, right? I'm Carol. Let me take you to your table."

They were given a table towards a back corner, away from the kitchen and relatively isolated. Rick helped Beth into her seat, propping her crutches within easy reach on the wall behind her before seating himself, Carol handing them their menus once they were settled.

"Your server will be with you in just a moment." Carol then bent down, whispering something to Rick, and all Beth could catch was, "so happy." Then, she was gone.

Rick looked at Beth, smile on his face.

"What?" she asked, slightly self conscious, slightly flirtatious. Butterflies were strong in her stomach, as he reached out to grab a hand of hers. His touch was comforting. "You look like you might have a secret."

"Carol had a little girl. Named Sophia. Her and Carl used to be friends," he started, voice low so only she could hear. "They used to live next door to us. But her husband was a bit of a drunk, bit of an abuser, one of those things you turned a blind eye towards cause it never got too serious. And then, about five years back, they get into a car accident. Her husband Ed, was buzzed driving. Killed both him and Sophia on impact and Carol barely survived.

"When she was better, she sold the house, got an apartment...works here full time now." His hand gripped hers a little tighter. "And the reason I'm telling you this is cause Carol is a woman I respect and have known for a while, and her telling me just now that she's never seen me look so happy in her entire life means a lot. She told me that you're a beautiful woman and we're beautiful together and she's happy for me. That means a lot to me, coming from someone that went through so much pain to...still see things like that."

Beth's breath caught in her throat and tears sprung to her eyes, but didn't fall.

What was she doing here, with this man?

Was she going to make him happy the rest of his life? Because, she felt she needed to answer that. She knew things with Rick would most likely be serious fast. He was older, divorced, and with a kid. He didn't have time to mess around, and she was in the boat of wanting to find someone to be with and maybe share her life with, but it was so sudden that she wasn't sure if that was right. It wasn't that her feelings didn't feel right, but she was afraid of what others might think.

What would her Daddy say?

But then she realized that it didn't matter what first reactions were. Her father, after his 1st wife passed (Maggie's mother), had married again, this time with a considerable age difference (Beth's mother). And honestly, it was no one's damn business what happened between Beth and Rick. They weren't hurting anyone. Was it so wrong to try and find happiness?

Was it so wrong she was probably falling in love?

Or was it that she was already in love?

That question was what caused the tightness in her throat, the breathlessness when he said certain things, and made her wonder if she was right for him. Was it just infatuation, though? Was it the fact that Rick was the most honest, thoughtful, amazing, and kind man she'd ever been with that made her feel this way? Or was it something more? The conflicting emotions, feelings, and questions were almost overwhelming for her.

"Oh Beth, I didn't mean to upset you." He reached across the table, hand gently cupping her face, and she knew then that things with Rick weren't just an infatuation that might fizzle out in a few months. His blue eyes were full of concern, concern for no one in the world but her, and that had her feeling like the most important and wanted woman in the world. "You okay?"

No, things with Rick were probably going to last for far longer.

"I'm fine." Her words came out a little shaky, but she took a deep, calming breath, and took hold of his hands. "I'm just fine."

"Good evening. My name is Antonio and I'll be your server."

Beth and Rick laughed.

* * *

Two hours later they left the Brickhouse, full and feeling amazing. Even though their main dishes had been more than enough, they still went all out and split the Nutella creme brulee. They spent their entire time talking to each other, lost in their own world, and their server would wordlessly refill the water glasses and drifted in and out whenever necessary.

Beth told Rick about the time when she was nine years old and had fallen off a runaway horse, breaking her arm for the summer and stuck learning how to bake and garden instead of ride or go to summer camp, because she wasn't supposed to be riding by herself in the first place. Her older sister Maggie had gloated endlessly about being able to attend summer camp, but became jealous upon later finding out that Beth had helped their father with the vet business and learned to drive stick shift. Maggie had instead come back with a wicked case of poison ivy.

Rick told the story of one from his high school days. He and Shane loved to pull pranks on the teachers and had the perfect idea to wreck havoc on the lounge. Having just learned about potassium and its effects when coming into contact with water, they broke into the science teacher's supply closet, taking all the potassium available. They had then put the potassium into a container that would take time for water to come in contact with the element, put it in the toilet that was in the lounge, and left. Thankfully, no one had ever found out it was Shane and Rick that pulled the prank, because the potassium blew up, destroying the toilet and entire bathroom. It was shut down for the rest of the school year until repairs could be made.

After they had told a few stories, they went on to a small game that let them get to know each other: two truths and a lie, where they told three things about themselves, but one was false. It was fun to guess that Beth had her upper ear pierced in college, but had never actually had a speeding ticket, or that Rick never smoked, but the Paranormal Activity movies scared him to no end and he had slept with the lights on the first night he watched one.

Rick drove them out along some back country roads after they were finished with their meal at the Brickhouse, giving Beth a tour of rural King County, one she had never had the chance to take. Then, before she knew what she was doing, her hand was sliding up along his pants, and he was pulling over the side of the road where there was a grove of trees, stopping and turning off the vehicle as soon as possible. He unbuckled his seat belt, and kissed her hungrily and she felt the spark running through her fast and hard.

"I've wanted to touch you all evening," he admitted as his hands roamed about her body. One hand fisted into her blonde hair, while the other traveled down the length of her body. She felt dizzy with desire. "I want to taste you."

"Do what you need to do, Rick," she gasped. She kissed him back, biting his lip, and the groan he released was all the more sexy with the wild look in his eyes. "Do what you want."

He backed away from her suddenly and left his vehicle. Beth was extremely confused, until he came around to her side, opening her door and the rear door to form a partition. He positioned her so that her good leg would have to bend for support, but the leg in her cast was comfortable and she was propped across the seats and able to lean on her elbows.

"You are so beautiful," he said.

He was then kissing her again, long and exploring of her teeth, lips, and tongue. His hands were on her dress, teasing and hot through the fabric down to her skin. She felt herself go wet with need, thighs trembling as his fingers skimmed along her legs, teasing.

She grabbed at him, urging him to take his jacket off, and they tossed it to the ground. Her hands tugged gently at his hair as he pulled up her dress so that it hiked around her waist, and his breath was hot on her panties as he kissed her thighs. Her head rolled back as she moaned, Rick's mouth on her mound, hot and heavy through the fabric that was blocking his goal.

His fingers then hooked into the elastic of her underwear, pulling them down, but then found he couldn't get them off without some general issues.

"Fuck it," he muttered, before tearing them off her in one, clean motion.

Her hips bucked at the motion, and before she could say anything, his mouth was on her clit, tongue pressing and swirling against her in a way she didn't think was possible. She moaned loudly, clutching to the seat, hand grabbing hold of the stick shift as she struggled to not grind up into Rick's talented tongue.

He continued to taste her, thumb stroking at her clit while his tongue probed deeper into her, sending electric shocks of pleasure down Beth's body. Her legs trembled with orgasmic anticipation while her body took on a light sheen of sweat. She felt the buildup starting, low and oh so pleasurable on its own. She was happy to ride out whatever sensations he was bringing her, caught up in the euphoria of it all.

He leaned into her more so that he could reach up and grab her breasts with one hand, the other still working her pussy perfectly. He switched things so that two fingers were pumping in and out of her, while his mouth worked relentlessly at her clit, and it had her feeling so high she could have screamed at how good it felt. Beth had always been a girl that was more appreciative of foreplay, having found out a while ago that a dick did not equal an automatic good time. She had never dated a man that was not only good at foreplay, but also liked it. It was appreciated that Rick had a special knack for going down on her that he seemed to enjoy providing without any reservations.

"Rick," she panted. Her fingers tugged on the curls of his hair while her hips shifted upwards. "Rick!"

"Cum for me," he whispered, and then he sucked on her clit, hard enough to bring forth that blurred line of pleasure/pain.

The trembling in her came full force as she finally felt herself spiral out of control a few minutes later, color flashing brilliantly in the blackness as her eyes closed at the onslaught of her orgasm. She felt a rush of wetness flow out, Rick lapping at it between her legs, looking up at her intently as he did so.

It was several moments until Beth caught her breath, legs collapsing on the seat without any grace, spent. Slowly, Rick detached himself from her, and grabbed his suit jacket, throwing it into the backseat of the pickup, and wiped at his face with his hand to clean off the rest of the juices that had come to rest on his graying whiskers. Carefully, he arranged her dress so she wouldn't be bared for the world, closing the rear passenger door after doing so.

Beth sat up suddenly, when she realized he wasn't unbuckling his pants. She had always learned with men that if they did that to her, it was expected she reciprocate the action. "Wait, Rick. What about you?"

"Oh no, I'm good." He smiled at her, big and genuine. She arched an eyebrow, confused. "Honestly, I am. I don't think you realize how fun it is to do that…" He kneaded at the back of his neck, suddenly nervous. "I mean, it's nice when...when the other person is enjoying themselves. And just cause I did that doesn't always mean I want something back. I like...pleasuring you, Beth."

Beth felt her cheeks go red.

"I've never been with a man that's done that before," she confessed. She sat up straighter so she could look Rick in the eye. He had placed his hands on the top of the cab, arms above his head so that he could lean into her some. There was nothing but warmth and affection for her showing in his oh so blue eyes. "I'm just not sure how things should go with you, I guess."

Admitting the insecurity over the unknown was a little relieving, especially when Rick didn't laugh or mock her in any way.

"Things go however you want," he said, voice a little lower than normal. He swallowed. "I'm here for however long you'll have me."

She pulled him in for a kiss that was light and quick, but meaningful.

"I'll be having you for quite a while then."

 **Author Note:** I am so sorry this took so long! I ran into a bit of a writer's block. I was also dealing with review at work. Good news is, I'm not fired, doing awesome, and get that yearly bonus, just in time for vacay! Yay! However, it totally threw me off my groove, gross. I hope the Carol bit wasn't too awkward? It felt a little awkward, but I'm too tired to change it and I am sorry, dear reader. 5 AM workouts SUCK yo (why do I do this to myself?!)! So, I have only just finished this chapter and barely started 11. I'm behind, I'm sorry. So, if this isn't enough, go on and read my other fic (it's Bethyl!), _When You Care_ , and that's like...a lot of reading bwahaha - leaving tomorrow! I hope this tides y'all over until I get back next week, where I'll be like...SUPER TAN and SUPER FAT from all the tasty food and drinking I'll be doing. Trying to throw some more smut in there to help out until Beth's leg heals. I'm sorry, but I personally wouldn't want to have sex for the first time with a certain Rick Grimes until my leg healed, just saying. I mean, I was a bit of a lover back in the day, but even I have self standards (though I found out guys really don't care if you haven't shaved your legs in a while. they'll still go for it). Any issues? Please let me know! I'm hoping for some Carl interaction soon, some issues with Lori, and maybe Rick pushing Beth to start singing!

 **Stupid Side Note:** Places like the Brickhouse, Final Go Round, and events like Roughrider Days...in case you haven't guessed, I'm working with familiarity for a fictional town. Those places/events are either places located where I live now, or in my hometown and no longer exist cause they blew up (seriously). So, if you're a stalker, you'd know where I live? That's spoopy!


	11. Chapter 11

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, seriously. Because if I did, Season 6 would be an awesome Bethyl mid-season reunion cliffhanger like OH SHIT MAN. Instead, I have this, and at least this has sexy hot Rick sex times..._

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 11**

The following weeks went by relatively fast. Beth finally got put in a special boot to able to limp around without crutches and began doing more work at the Final Go Round again, even if she was a little slow. Rick called and texted her whenever they couldn't see each other, which had happened several times, but both were okay with it. They were busy people and weren't expected to drop everything just to spend time together. That alone was a comforting thought for Beth.

However, they had gone out again, to see a movie, and Rick had come over many nights after his shifts when Beth was off work. They'd cuddle up on the couch with pizza and beer, or Beth would have other healthy alternatives at hand with a gentle reminder that everything in moderation was best.

They watched movies, and they binged television shows. After finishing _Daredevil_ they moved onto the other Netflix produced shows: _House of Cards_ , _Orange is the New Black_ , and _Hemlock Grove_. Some were great, others were laughable, but what was most enjoyable was the company. Rick and Beth found that they both provided worthwhile commentary à la Mystery Science Theater 3000, often ending with hilarious results.

They also talked and texted, a lot. When things were slow at work, Beth was asking about Rick's favorites: foods, movies, books, etc. Rick was always kind and replied without any issues, and he asked her about her dreams. What did she want to accomplish in life? What was her biggest fear? He had also asked her what she thought of King County and it's slower, somewhat simple ways.

Beth confessed to Rick her love of singing, though she was sure it was a little obvious when she sang a song she had written that one time, way back when she had first moved to town. Rick was aware, but he never wanted to push her into it. However, when she told him that she had been saving to record an album, just for kicks, she was surprised by the support he expressed.

He had told her, "Beth, I gave up a lot of dreams. Lori and I both did, and now that I'm older I'm starting to realize you can't be so hung up on what others think. Sometimes, you need to do things for yourself. You should do it, even if it benefits no one else but you."

She had hugged him then, followed by kissing and more after. Then, she wrote, she wrote some songs with Rick in mind, of good things, of what could be, of maybes, and even some mourning because she was still afraid she might wake up one day to no longer feeling butterflies, but bitter resentment.

She wasn't ready to share them quite yet, but she allowed herself to work around him. Sometimes, he'd come over when she was in the middle of a jam session, strumming her guitar to an unknown tune, trying to find the melody that would fit her words. It was a combination of her voice going high and jumping unexpectedly over smooth twangs in the most unique of ways, and Rick would watch her. He would watch her, completely enchanted with this woman. She would look to him and smile, and he'd smile back, and everything was good.

Then one day, Beth ran into Lori.

Even though Beth had known Rick for months, and they had been dating each other the better part of another month, they were still taking it slow. That meant she had yet to officially meet Rick's son, Carl. Of course, she knew of Carl, had seen him out and about in town before, but she never approached him, nor did she ever make attempts of contact. She left that up to Rick.

With Lori, Beth was even more careful. It seemed that Lori avoided Beth's work places, and Beth avoided going too many places on the weekend when she didn't work. It was like an unspoken agreement in town that the two women wouldn't meet.

However, Beth had a free Saturday afternoon, and had run out of groceries. She went to the store, hair in a large and messy bun, makeup free and with cut-off shorts and a well-worn Avengers t-shirt clearly too large for her, one of Rick's that he had left behind on a sleepover. She had no cares in the world, humming happily as she limped along with her shopping cart. It was filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, although there was an occasional offering of junk food, and particularly a box of Fruit Loops. Rick happened to like cereal in the mornings, and Fruit Loops was one of his favorites.

She turned the corner, singing softly to the tune of Ed Sheeran, her cart colliding with another very suddenly.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," Beth said as she focused on the other cart pusher. Her breath caught in her throat at seeing Lori, with Carl at her side. At least, she assumed it was Lori. Rick had shown her mostly pictures of Carl from his cell phone, and she hadn't really seen Lori before. "Uhmm...hello." She tried to make sure her tone was as friendly as possible.

Carl had gone through a bit of a growth spurt recently, it seemed, his jeans a little short on him, t-shirt not fitting quite right. He stood nearly to his mother's shoulder, with a mop of long brown hair much like his mother's but had his father's beautiful blue eyes and the same, straight style nose, and a mess of freckles splashed across his face. He looked a little confused, but smiled at Beth in greeting, a polite young boy.

Lori was tall, willowy and graceful with the blue wraparound dress she wore. Her hair was long and brown, curled to perfection. Her eyebrows were perfectly waxed, makeup subtle but perfect as well, her piercing blue eyes that seemed to be a colder shade than Rick's trained on Beth with judgement shown openly. She pursed her lips and opened her mouth as if to speak, hesitating for a moment.

"You must be Beth." Her tone seemed nice enough, but the body language was something else entirely.

Beth nodded, trying to remain polite, but terrified on the inside. She felt like a child compared to this woman. "I am. Your name is Lori, right?" She turned her attention to Carl, smile widening at the boy. "And you must be Carl, I've heard a lot about you!"

"You're really pretty. Are you my Dad's new girlfriend?" Carl asked.

The statement took Beth back a little. Her and Rick were mutually exclusive, though neither had put such a label on their relationship. She honestly wasn't sure how to answer Carl.

"Carl, that is extremely rude," Lori scolded. He looked down, ears turning red with embarrassment at having been called out by his mother. She looked to Beth. "I'm sorry. I haven't really explained things to him about what's happening between you and his father, but talk does get around town pretty fast." She eyed Beth and Beth felt the size of an ant. How was that possible? "I mean, how do you explain to a child the mechanics of a fling?"

Beth felt her blood run cold for a moment. Lori had said the last part low enough so Carl, who was now eyeing the snack foods in Beth's cart, wouldn't really hear. The jab was harsh, and hit her harder than she expected it to. The look in Lori's eyes said it all too: she saw Beth as nothing more than a child, a nuisance and something to be looked down upon.

That made her...angry.

"You don't have to explain anything," Beth replied, sugar sweet. Her smile was forced, but there was no way she would act upon her desire to slap the other woman. "In fact, what happens between Rick and I is no one's business but our own. When the time comes, if Rick finds it appropriate, to include others in our relationship, that will be done with nothing but the utmost respect and care for others."

Lori's grip on the handlebar of the cart became so intense that her knuckles turned white, but she didn't say anything, and Beth's inner voice cheered in victory. The other woman went to move past Beth, and stopped when they stood side by side.

"You should watch how you talk to your betters," Lori whispered. "Or else you're gonna cause all kinds of hell that I don't think you or Rick will appreciate."

"It was nice meeting you Carl," Beth said warmly, and truthfully, ignoring the class separation comment as best as she could.

"It's nice meeting you too, Beth!" Carl said enthusiastically, a bit of admiration in his eyes.

Beth looked to Lori once more, and set her stance to be as strong and determined as possible. "It was nice meeting you Lori, I hope you have a good day."

Before Lori could respond, Beth pushed her cart down the opposite end of the aisle as fast as she could and went straight to the checkout, bagging her groceries as quickly as possible, her cheeks flushed the entire time. She was out to her car and loaded it in record time, before flopping down into the passenger seat and turning it on. Safely locked in, she rested her head against the steering wheel, feeling her body tremble as a rush of adrenaline wore off.

How had that just happened? Why did Lori seem to have such a target set out on her too? She hadn't done anything (aside from being involved with her ex husband) that warranted so much hostility. Yes, Beth was seeing Rick, but she wasn't playing house, and certainly wasn't spending any time with Carl. They had both agreed right away to keep the Carl factor out unless things got serious. It felt more appropriate anyways, while they tried to navigate their feelings for each other. However, seeing Lori like that was shocking and terrifying, to say the least.

"What am I going to do?" Beth moaned.

* * *

 _ **Rick:**_ _I didn't hear from you thjs weekend. Everything ok? - 11:15 AM_

 _ **Beth:**_ _Yea, was just tired. Really lazy, didn't do much. Sorry. - 11:20 AM_

 _ **Rick:**_ _Are you sure? - 11:22 AM_

 _ **Beth:**_ _I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stand you up - 11:25 AM_

 _ **Rick:**_ _You're fine! You just seem a little off. - 11:27 AM_

 _ **Beth:**_ _Just not my week is all. - 11:46 AM_

He didn't talk to her the rest of the day, and she was happy for it. Saturday still weighed on her mind, and it interfered with her work. She mishandled a dog, pulled the wrong records, and kept knocking everything over. By the time she had to get ready to head to the Final Go Round, she was half wanting to call in sick, but her conscious wouldn't allow her.

"You look like shit," Tara deadpanned as Beth hobbled through the door.

"Don't start with me, please," Beth groaned. She dropped off her purse in the lockers in the back as Tara followed her. "I had the worst thing ever happen this weekend."

"Officer Friendly isn't as good in the sack as you hoped?" Tara waggled her eyebrows for added humor.

"Gosh, no. We haven't even gone all the way and he's amazing." Beth leaned down to pat her boot, smiling. "Just another couple weeks and this sucker comes off for more physical therapy and I'm cast free." She stopped smiling, sobering immediately. "I ran into Carl and Lori at the grocery store."

Tara stared at her a moment, eyes becoming large as saucers, and then she broke into a panic. "Holyshitareyouserious?!"

Beth nodded, as both in confirmation and a little surprised she understood her friend. "Yup. She doesn't like me, that's for sure."

"Would you like someone as hot as you diddling Mr. Rick Grimes?" Tara teased. "Oh wait, you haven't even diddled yet. Did he go down on you at least? Or is he kind of the hot selfish guy that lays back and lets a lady do all the work? You haven't told me enough details and I'm kind of jealous. I mean, it's hard for me to get laid in small town ass Georgia. I gotta go all the way to Atlanta for a good fling nowadays. It's like lesbians are vampires around her or something like what the fuck?"

Beth eyed Tara. "You done now?"

"Not even close, but you know I love you."

"Okay first of all, Rick is amazing in you know what ways." She held up her hand to stop Tara from interjecting. "Seriously. Great stuff I'm not going into details cause you know I'm not like that! But really, Lori had it out for me. And I'm worried I just opened a can of worms for Rick when it comes to Carl."

"What do you mean?"

"She said, and I quote, 'You should watch how you talk to your betters or else you're gonna cause all kinds of hell that I don't think you or Rick will appreciate.' What do you think that means?" Beth felt panic surge through her again and wanted to start hyperventilating.

"Hey now!" Tara grabbed Beth's shoulders and gently shook her. "Rick is a grown ass man and made it clear to Lori you're none of her damn business. He can take care of himself." She stepped back. "But I think you should tell him."

They began to walk towards the front so that Beth could check her workstations and prep for her shift. The bar area was pretty quiet tonight, the dinner rush not starting for what would probably be another twenty to thirty minutes. It was mostly retired folks getting dinner in early and a few locals that drank all day.

Tara hung around Beth, until Beth finally turned and said, "I know I should tell him, but what do I say? Oh Rick, I ran into your ex and now she's probably out to make your life totally miserable? Yeah, because that will go over so well."

"Whoa, you are really worried about this." Tara was observing Beth as if she was trying to read her mind. "Is there something more to this?"

Beth put down the rag she had been using to wipe down chairs, sighing. She rubbed under her eyes, the tiredness of a sleepless night evident. She had been truthful when she told Rick she was tired. She barely slept, plagued with what-ifs and scenarios of worst case situations throughout the weekend. She was surprised she didn't hear anything, actually. No one had been in the aisle, but she thought Lori might have said something. Miss Rumor Mill Super Sleuth Amy would have definitely heard something if the other woman had, though, and let Beth know immediately if that was the case.

"I really like him," Beth confessed. "I mean, I really like like Rick. And I don't wanna screw this up. What if I just did?"

People were starting to come in, not many, but two tables sat down in Tara's section. She hugged Beth quickly, and with a protective fierceness. "You didn't screw anything up. Rick's so over the moon for you it isn't even funny. You'll be okay, I promise."

With that, Tara walked away to greet her tables, leaving Beth feeling very uncertain about herself, but a little better nonetheless.

The dinner rush came and went without much excitement. Amy had the night off, so there wasn't anyone that really talked her ear off. While Tara could get going on a rant some days, she had a fairly strong work ethic and didn't screw around too much (unless there was a beautiful, receptive woman to flirt with, then all bets were off).

Beth was rolling silverware when a familiar, uniformed duo strolled up to one of the bar tables in her section at about nine thirty at night. That meant Shane and Rick were working one of the later shifts and were relieved by the overnight cop on duty. They usually came to the Final Go Round when they were finished with later shifts and oftentimes would start their overnights here with or without each other.

Shane flagged Beth down as she walked over, giving a great big smile, but Rick looked a little more reserved. She realized that he was sizing her up, trying to get a read on her and why she had been avoiding him for the last few days. She felt her face light up with the embarrassment at being caught red handed, but tried to play it off with a little bit of her good ol Southern charm.

"Well, well officers. How's it going tonight? Want an appetizer to start?" she greeted.

"Sure!" Shane answered. He slapped Rick on the back. "Rick's being an old grouch tonight, so let's start with a round of Bud Light while we're at it. We're off the clock and this week sucks hard already. Right, man?"

"Yeah, just a rough day is all," Rick answered.

"Is it cause Miss Beth ran into Lori?" Shane teased.

Beth tensed up immediately, just like Rick at the mention of Lori, though she couldn't be sure if it had already bit Rick in the ass or not.

How did Shane know about that?

Beth had only just told Tara, who would keep her mouth shut until Beth spoke with Rick, but for all she knew, Lori hadn't told anyone. The rumor mill was surprisingly quiet on the matter. There was no way Shane would have heard it through the grapevine.

Unless…

"I'm going to go get you those beers. And wings! Wings are great tonight, Tyreese made his own sauce." Beth hurried off to Shane looking extremely confused, and Rick with something in his eyes that couldn't be identified, but it was hard and cold and scary.

Beth tapped the order into the computer before running towards the bathrooms, locking herself in one of the two stalls in the women's room. She slid along the wall down onto the floor and brought her knees up to her chin, huddled into a ball. She felt sick to her stomach and that she might jump out of her skin, all at once. She gave herself only two minutes to compose herself, which she figured was just enough time to run out the drinks, when she washed her hands and left the bathroom.

As she exited the bathroom, she found herself squarely running into a very firm chest quite unexpectedly.

"Ah! Sorry!" she said, rubbing at her now snubbed nose. Then she looked up said firm chest to see the face. "Rick!"

He grabbed her by the hand and quickly dragged her further down the hallway until they made it to the employee lockers. By the lockers was a broom closet with cleaning supplies. He practically pushed her in, pushing himself in as well, and shutting the door behind them so they were in complete darkness. There was some fumbling and a few moments later, the glow of the single light bulb.

Beth felt oh so nervous, but Rick didn't look angry, just firm and curious.

"So…" He leaned into Beth, space as small as it was, arm encircling her waist to pull her close. Her breath hitched at the feel of him next to her, the closet a taboo experience. "We gonna talk about what happened to you Saturday?"

 **Author Note:** Hey all! I am so sorry for the delay. As I said in _When You Care_ , the honeymoon hit me a tish hard, but was a total blast! I would have had this up yesterday, but I actually had to do some work at work. *gasp* It's a bit funny this time of year. I work at an accounting firm, so I don't even get close to busy until sending out Christmas letters for tax season, and then January - April is a total shit show. Anywho, I hope I kept Tara like I did in previous chapters. Of course the supporting characters tend to fade to the background, so bringing them out to play after a while leaves me rusty. I hope Carl was a tish believable. We'll get a better sense of him later, promise. My focus was not on him at all. And the Lori interaction?! Oooohhhhh man, shit's about to go down. Girl, hold my hoops. Seriously, I hope that due to lack of sexy Rick/Beth interaction this chapter, that possible fight tension helps make up for it. Don't worry, sexy times about will be happening in the future ;)

Keep it up with your awesome reviews. They're what keep me going! Love you all and thank you so much for your fabulous support.


	12. Chapter 12

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, seriously. If I did, then episode 5 of season 6 would be total BETH ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 12**

Her blood was pounding in her ears, a roar like the stormy ocean, and all encompassing. Her heartbeat was loud, hammering hard in her chest and through her head. Rick's gaze on her was expectant, patient, and it made her feel more nervous than ever.

"I met Lori and Carl at the grocery store," she blurted out.

"Yes. I'm well aware," Rick said dryly.

He didn't say anything else though, so Beth continued. "You have a wonderful boy."

"Beth." Rick grabbed her chin with his other hand while he still held her close, and forced her to look at him. "I'm not mad at you. You ran into my ex-wife in a public setting. It's not like you can hide out and avoid her, but she called me up on Sunday to tell me about how you threatened her and humiliated her. That doesn't sound like you, so I need to hear both sides of the story."

"I thought you might be mad," Beth murmurred. She blushed. "I said hello, and Carl asked if I was your girlfriend, then Lori made some jab about us having a fling, so I told her as nice as I could it's none of her business and if things get serious, it's between you and me of who we tell and how. I then told her to have a nice day and ran off faster than I probably should have." It all came rushing out of her so much easier than she had expected.

Rick hugged her, suddenly and fierce, and Beth felt him trembling.

"Rick?"

Then, Beth realized that Rick was trembling because he was laughing.

"Only you could be so polite and piss Lori off in one bit." Rick kept laughing, a little more heartily now, and Beth admitted to herself how nice the sound was. It was deep, rich, a little geeky with a bit of a snort at the end when he finally died down, but it was all purely Rick in the end. "Why did you think I'd be mad?"

Beth shrugged, feeling helpless. "I don't know. Things have been going well, but Lori made it sound like she'd raise hell since I'm with you."

Rick's expression sombered. "Yeah, she might give us some trouble soon." He ran a hand through his hair, slightly agitated. "But, she has no right to do anything. We have a solid custody agreement, and it's not like you and I are fucking in my house while Carl is around." He laughed again. "Hell, I wouldn't mind just going part of that route in general."

Beth lightly smacked him on the chest, but still smiled. "Rick! Have you no shame?"

He nuzzled her, causing her to squeal in delight, nipping at the skin twice before saying, "No I don't. Guess I'm just an old dog."

She pulled him closer. "But you're my dog."

Rick was giving her a look she was unsure of, but it twisted her stomach in the best and worst way possible, and made her almost want to cry, all at once. It had her nervous and excited all at the same time. Lord, help her.

"Beth, I think I should tell you-"

"You two lovebirds better not be having sex in there!" Tara said loudly, on the other side of the door. The pair jumped apart as the door opened, Tara holding a hand over her eyes. "I have opened the door. Please make sure you are dressed before I remove my hand." She then looked at the couple, and sighed. "You guys! You're supposed to have your clothes all thrown back on and look guilty. This just looks boring. Straight people suck."

"Good to see you too, Tara," Rick said, though there was a bit of a sparkle in his eyes.

"Your wings are ready, lover boy."

He nodded. "Thanks." He turned to Beth. "I'll see you for a refill."

Beth nodded furiously, cheeks and ears bright red. "Okay."

With that, he left, brushing past her, and leaving her alone in a broom closet with Tara staring at her expectantly. The dark haired woman put her hands on her hips, eyebrow arched in question at the blonde. Beth was sure she had already blushed as much as she could, but that gesture was enough to set her ears on fire once more.

"We didn't do nuthin," Beth muttered.

"Oh I know," Tara said. She giggled. "But what were you talking about?"

"Lori."

"Oh man, of all the things to send you into the closet, it's that bitch?" Tara went into the closet and hugged Beth a little more tightly and closely than the blonde expected, but it was comforting all the same. For as outrageous as Tara was, she was still a good friend ever since Beth moved into King County. "You know I'm not gonna let her go and ruin everything for you and Rick, right? You two are seriously good for each other. That doesn't happen often." She kissed Beth on the cheek. "Now come on, let's get out of the closet."

Beth laughed.

* * *

The rest of Beth's shift went relatively easy. It was a bit of a slow night, for which she was thankful. She was a bit of a gimp in the boot and it was a workout to move around like she was. However, Shane and Rick had stuck around in her section, letting her know they'd close their tab when her shift was up, which was bar close anyway.

Shane eased the tension of the earlier situation with more beer and wings, keeping the alcohol flowing freely. The combination of his best friend and good food and drinks seemed to relax Rick as well, the tension easing from the man's shoulders, as well as easing the heated looks that were thrown Beth's way.

Soon, the end of the evening drew near. Most patrons had left, downing the last of their drinks when last call had been shouted out. Shane paid the tab for him and Rick, wishing Beth a good night and saying goodbye to the rest of the Final Go Round crew before heading out. However, Rick stayed, just watching and waiting patiently.

With the last tab closed, Beth sat at Rick's table at the bar after cleaning her section. She grabbed her calculator and began closing her shift, efficiently counting the cash and credit card receipts.

"I won't be long, Morgan just has to double check it," Beth murmured.

"I got time," Rick said, and Beth felt the implications behind those words.

She nodded and hurried to the back, where Morgan was in his office. He typing in the others' receipts into a ledger spreadsheet on Excel, but turned around when he heard Beth trudge in with her boot. He smiled at her, though the smile died down when he saw Beth's eyes.

"What's wrong, child?" he asked.

"Just a long day, but nothing I can't handle," Beth answered. She smiled, a little bigger. "I'm no good at saying things and it got me in a little bit of trouble is all. I'm sure it'll all be fine though."

Morgan nodded. "He'll come around." He laughed at the look on Beth's face. "It's a small town and we work in a place with the worst gossips. Of course I'm going to hear about you running into Lori and not telling Rick. He's not mad about you running into Lori, you know. He's frustrated that he can't just outright woo you like a normal man."

Morgan sighed, a sad look in his eyes. His wife had passed away from cancer a few years ago, so it had been just him and his son, Duane, who was Carl's age. "A woman like Lori is not someone who walks away from something, even if she was the one that broke it in the first place. And her seeing you with Rick, or even whispers of it, makes her mad. You're taking her toy away from her and she doesn't like it. Before you came to town, Rick was turning into an alcoholic, completely miserable. But since you've been here...he's happy. Happier than I've seen him in a long time, and that's thanks to you."

Beth felt a lump in her throat. "Morgan, I don't want to mess things up. I don't want to make it hard for him and Carl. It's not my place to."

"No!" Morgan looked at her, something fierce in his eyes. "No, it's not your place to decide to leave if things get hard for Rick. That's his own journey, but Beth, he cares for you. He's cared about you the day he met you, and I know you're younger than him and you have a lot to live for yet, so you have got to decide if you're in it for the long haul or not."

During the exchange, he had taken Beth's receipts and cash payments from her, typing them into the computer while he spoke.

"He's still waiting for you, isn't he?"

"Probably."

Morgan nodded. "G'on then. Have a good night, Beth. And remember, long haul or not."

"Good night, Morgan."

She left the office and headed back to the front, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. Morgan had made several excellent points, and while she knew things with Rick were never just a fling or anything like that, the fact that others were viewing the seriousness of their relationship was terrifying. It felt like she was being pushed along and she didn't want that. She wanted things with Rick to flow their natural way and progress how they decided they wanted to, not how others viewed it.

Morgan meant well, but meaning well and doing well were two completely different things. She decided that she would probably still stay quiet about her relationship around others, for the most part. Things might be for the better that way.

The main lights in the restaurant and bar were turned off, with Rick in the same spot Beth had left him. He was hunched over the table, his brow furrowed in concentration, and the harsh set of his shoulders had her feeling like she needed to hug all his stress away.

She limped over to him, her hand sliding up along his back until it rested at the base of his neck, and she saw much of the tension melt away. His clear, blue eyes looked at her with hope, exhaustion, and that something that caused so many unspoken emotions in her.

"Done for the night?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yup. Section's all cleaned and I closed out my register."

He held his hand out to her. "Let's go to my house. I'll drive you."

"You sure?"

He kissed her forehead as he stepped away from the table. His lips were warm, comforting and thrilling as they touched her skin. "I'm sure."

Without another word, he helped her into his pickup, quickly driving out of the dark parking lot and to his house.

The drive was quiet, almost uncomfortably so. Rick's fingers drummed impatiently along the steering wheel and dashboard. Beth chewed at her nails and stared at the window, the streetlights casting shadows as they passed by.

It wasn't too long until they were in Rick's driveway, parked outside the quaint home, all the lights inside turned off. Beth turned to Rick to ask if Carl happened to be around, but was instead met directly with a kiss from the older man that hot and hungry. She returned the kiss as soon as the surprise of it wore off, fumbling with her seatbelt to find a better position.

Once free, Rick was on top of her, hands roaming and needy. She felt a tingle, the spark go through her every time their skin touched. He was drawing long, low moans out of her, and she felt like she'd catch fire at any moment.

"We're never gonna make it into the house if you keep this up." Beth felt like she was gasping each word, and trembled when Rick's hand skimmed along her thigh, fingers teasing at the hem of her shorts. "Rick, you make me want to do things even in a cast."

He pulled back a moment, and looked at her. They both probably had the same, crazed and horny light in their eyes, and she knew that he no longer cared about her physical limitations. They had waited weeks, no months...longer it felt, and she wanted him right then and right now.

"Fuck it."

He was out of the pickup and had Beth out of the passenger side faster than she could blink, it felt like. He kept kissing her as he carried her bridal style to the house, nearly stumbling as he tried to balance her and open the door, but still mindful of her cast.

He was nearly to the top of the landing when she noticed his legs were nearly ready to give out.

"Rick!" she laughed. "I can walk to the bed just fine."

"I can carry you, dammit," he huffed. "I'm not that old."

"Oh I don't know about that." She found herself giggling.

He gently tossed her on the bed when they made it to the bedroom, and he hadn't dropped her once.

"I'll show you."

And then he was on top of her again, hands a little less needy, but there was the underlying sense of urgency there. They knew they both knew that they could no longer wait, that trivial things like a broken leg and crazy ex-wives weren't enough to stop them. What Rick and Beth had was special, and they needed to mark it, mark each other, in the best way possible.

She ripped his shirt off, and explored the expanse of him, admiring his physique yet again, and he gently stripped her of her clothes until she lay naked before him, legs slightly spread and a light sheen of sweat across her body, cheeks flushed with desire.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever known," he whispered as he worshiped her body with his mouth. She moaned at the warm wetness of his kisses, arching into him, limbs quivering. "I want you to stay, stay so bad."

"I'll stay," she murmured. "I'll always stay."

He nipped at her thighs, that bit of sharpness with the slightest hint of pain, but the sensation of pleasure that overtook it was just right, and caused a physical ache in her. She could feel her pussy dripping, and arched herself into him so that he may relieve the ache in any way possible. He read that desire, and his fingers brushed her outer lips, spreading her so that his mouth was on her clit, and sucked for a moment before letting his fingers dip into her and tease her into a frenzy.

"Oh please oh please," she said frantically. "Just fuck me."

He rolled of her then, and got off the bed. "Touch yourself for a minute." He began pulling his pants off as quickly as he could, and she could have sworn his erection, already large and ready, grew more, when she complied to his request. "Oh fuck." He stumbled to his bedside table, grabbing a condom, and putting it on hastily before he was back on top of her, grabbing the hand which she had touched herself with. "You sure?"

She nodded. "Yes."

Then he was in her, and it was tight, hot, amazing, and wonderful. He pulled at her hair, kissing her neck, his other hand gripping her waist, while she hooked her good leg around his waist, her hands feeling whatever part of him that she could.

Their pace was a little awkward at first: she hadn't been with too many men and had definitely never done it with a cast, and it'd been quite some time since he had even gotten laid. Still, it wasn't long until they were moving with a purposeful unison, both moaning in pleasure as the pace increased, and that wonderful peak was nearly felt, that pleasureful moment to completion intensifying with every gyration.

"Beth," he half whispered/moaned. His movements became erratic and uncontrolled, and she saw his face as he reached his orgasm, though he kept moving, desperately trying to get her there as well.

And then she shattered.

The intensity was surprising, though it was unfortunately a little short lived, but she did her best to ride the wave of her orgasm before it quickly crashed away from her. He had stilled as she came, riding down from his own high, and waiting until she was finished before slowly pulling out of her. He shook his head apologetically.

"I didn't really get you, did I?" he asked. She could see the doubt of him, set so clearly in his body as he looked down at his now flaccid penis. "I'm sorry."

The language of his body screamed insecurity: insecurity at being an older man with a younger woman, of not having satisfied her completely, and she felt her heart break just a little.

"You did," she answered. She reached out to grab his arm when he went to roll away. "It was great, Rick." He rolled back to face her. "It was perfect and it was us. That's what matters. I loved it, did you?"

"Of course," he said, his voice hoarse. His eyes watered. "I feel like I'm sixteen and that I'm going to fuck things up."

Beth shook her head. "Never.

He kissed her, soft and quick. "Thank you." He sat up then. "I'm gonna go wash up for a minute. Need anything?"

She yawned. "Would it...would it be okay if I stayed, maybe?"

"I was hoping you would."

 **Author Note:** I am a terrible person, and I apologize for being terrible. College started back up, and I've just been focusing on being an adult who puts too much on her plate. Between that, work, my husband taking on debate as a coach, our daughter in dance and...life got crazy in good and bad ways. Trust me though, I've had this on my mind for a while, and the guilt increased every day I lacked in updating. I am so sorry! However, happy I didn't end on a slight cliffhanger this time, right? lol - I hope this didn't turn a bunch of people away. I'm still here for all your lovely Brick needs! Btw, what's everyone think of season 6? We haven't had a chance to watch it, but we're hopefully binge watching it tonight :) Also, a side note...I thought I knew where this story was going, but I think it's taking on a mind of its own, and I hope that you'll all join in on the ride. Give me your thoughts, give me your well-worded criticisms. I apologize for editing errors. If there's anything major, let me know, I didn't read anything when I picked it up again (I had just started them getting to Rick's and knew it was going to end in sexy times before I had taken a break). Last question: sex scene okay? I'm always looking over my shoulder at work, terrified the boss will see my smut, so I'm caught between wanting to write extra filthy, and just keeping it somewhat implied.

Thank you all for your continued support! Happy reading :D


	13. Chapter 13

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, seriously. Because let's face it, that season finale was total shite, and if you want to follow the comics, I'll show you how to follow that stupid comic, AMC. In fact, I'll show you how to fix your big mess!_

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 13**

They didn't get to sleep in, unfortunately, but having the early morning hours together in itself was comforting. Rick woke up early to the smell of a woman, soft and comforting, Beth's blonde tresses tickling at his nose. She was vanilla and spice, with that scent that made Beth uniquely her, all rolled into one.

The night had been comfortable. They had stayed up late making love several more times, only to sleep for a few hours, and even though exhausted, both were fully sated. They both felt whole and wanted and loved, and it was all anyone could really ever ask for.

The sun did not wake them, but Rick's alarm at 5:30 in the morning did. The simple beeping, an increasing and decreasing wave of scales was not as jarring as expected. He had opened his eyes and he was just awake. There was no grogginess, just a bit of soreness in his limbs, but a satisfying soreness, nonetheless. She gave a small groan next to him, curling into herself slightly before stretching out, hands unconsciously feeling for him. He grabbed one gently, kissing her fingers with reverence and smiling when her eyes slowly opened to see him.

"Morning," she rasped. Her voice was low, quiet, throat fogged with sleep. Her other hand stroked his bare arm, goosebumps trailing in its wake. "What time is it?"

"Little after five thirty," he replied. She groaned again. "I'm sorry, I have to get to work and drop you off at your car."

"I wish we weren't responsible and could play hooky." She smiled once more, and he felt his heart hammering in his chest, his stomach doing flip flops.

She was so goddamn beautiful.

"Guess I'll get up," she said. Then she sat up, arms going wide and above her head to release the knots. Her hair was a wild, tangled mess, in every direction and golden in the darkness of the bedroom. Her pert breasts were inviting to him, beckoning him back to the gray, to the comforting evening, to stay rolled up forever with her. Forever and ever. "Something the matter?"

He leaned over and kissed her, firmly and with purpose.

"Nah, just thinking how lucky I am," he whispered. She blushed then, ducking her head as if in embarrassment. He tucked the curtain of hair that had fallen to cover her face behind her ear. "I'm serious. Nothing wrong with saying it."

She laughed. "I know, it just makes me feel giddy, so happy I might jump out of my skin." She ducked into him as he wrapped an arm around her. Their fingers intertwined and it just felt right. "You make me happy, Rick."

It was 5:45 in the morning, he had to be at work by 6:30, but he didn't care. It wouldn't kill him to be late just one day.

"I'd like to make you happier again, just real quick."

He kissed her neck and she melted against him, boneless and ready. Her nipples pebbled, hardened under that touch without being touched. His hands ghosted over her flesh, and she felt her body ready itself for him again. She was tight and sore, but the warmth and the need was a palpable pain that needed to be taken care, demanded to be acknowledged.

"Show me," she challenged.

He grinned, happy to accept.

* * *

Two months.

Two months and eight days, to be exact.

It seemed to go by in blur, really, compared to the time before they allowed this, before they allowed themselves to be happy.

They had been dating for a little over two months now, and things were going fine. Better than fine, actually. It was amazing, incredible, and hard to not be caught up in each other. Any time that they both had off where Rick didn't have Carl for a weekend was spent together.

They went to a movie or two, she cooked for him (multiple times, he loved her cooking, couldn't stop raving about it), and they took walks in the afternoons they had a chance to, while it was still warm, before the chill of fall settled in for good. He even held a fire in his backyard for her one night, drinking heavily spiked hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows, cuddling under a blanket and falling deeper in love.

They had nights where they ordered pizza and ate it in her bed, legs comfortably (and cast-free now!) entwined with each other, naked skin touching and watching shows, but mostly distracted and exploring. They spent those evenings getting to know each other, what made the other howl with need and pleasure.

Beth found that Rick's toes would curl when she sucked on him with just the right amount of pressure and scraped her nails on his inner thigh while she did so at the same time. Rick made Beth moan and buck when he'd blow on her clit and barely touch her pussy lips with his fingers. Missionary was great, but he loved when she rode him and he could grip her ass and control the pace while she tweaked and pinched at her breasts with no shame.

That was the best part. Beth had no shame about herself when with him. At first, she had been a little shy, especially when he'd go down on her and want nothing in return, but because he never called her out on any strange noises, or how she looked when they made love, he quickly found she had no shame during their sexual couplings. She made the most beautiful faces and sounds, and he coaxed and loved each and every one.

He told her how beautiful she was when she made those faces, he told her how he loved her sounds during lovemaking, how incredible she was, and it made her a bold woman in the bedroom. Fearless. Delightful.

It was glorious.

He loved the way her pupils would explode when he would cup her face and let his thumb rest on her lip. He loved how she'd lightly bite that thumb, how there'd be a bit of a smile to her lips as she did it. He loved how she tasted in the kiss afterwards, how her small hands would cling to him like a lifeline. He honestly just loved every bit about Beth Greene that there was to love, and more.

In all his years, Rick Grimes had never felt more alive and more hopeful.

It was amazing.

It was incredible.

Then, one day, something not alright happened.

Beth had suspected it, for quite awhile now. There were a few inconsistencies, the way he kept to himself when asked about who he was seeing. She didn't know him as well as Rick did, but she knew Shane well enough to know when something was up, and it had been, for some time now.

And then, she found out why that one unnamed sense was tingling. She found exactly the reason why she felt a weird churning in her gut every time Shane shifted his eyes between her and Rick, why he was quick to duck out sometimes when Rick and him were eating at the Final Go Round, and why he just seemed nervous whenever you-know-who was mentioned.

How do you tell your boyfriend that his best friend is sleeping with his ex-wife? Or at the very least, he's canoodling with her at the little hole-in-the wall Thai food place in Atlanta, where you grabbed some takeout for on the way home to heat up later that evening?

She had run in because it was raining outside, and hurried to the counter that was at the front of the little restaurant. She had been on the phone with Rick, talking to him about her day in the city. It had been a bit of a last-minute decision, but she had been saving some money and decided to go into Atlanta for some recording equipment. She had never been a fan of online shopping, preferring to see what she was buying in person. So, mustering up the courage, she had bought some essentials, like a proper microphone, pop filter, and mic stand, along with some new strings for her guitar, and an appropriate amp.

Hopefully, the money she spent today would pay in sometime in the future. She had a plan, she just wasn't sure how good of a plan it was.

Since the trip had taken the better part of the day, she had decided to order from a little family-run Thai place she knew about when younger, calling in an order of some curry, fried rice, spring rolls, dumplings, and even a bahn mi for the next day. It was a lot of food, it always was whenever her family had gotten food from here, but the leftovers were just as delicious, and she just didn't want to pass it up.

"Okay. I gotta go now. I'll drop by your place when I get back. Okay. Bye. Hi. I called an order in earlier. Last name is Greene," she politely told the cashier at the front.

The cashier disappeared into the back room to grab her order, and upon that, heard someone sputtering, like they had 'water go down the wrong pipe,' the coughing violent and harsh, a soothing voice attempting to dissuade the violence.

"You okay, Shane?" a familiar voice asked.

Beth's head whipped around at almost whiplash speed, honing in on a couple sitting in a booth towards the back of the small restaurant. Shane Walsh had his head bowed over a glass of pop, still coughing, face bright red, though the coughing had eased. However, the look of panic on his face was palpable. Lori sat next to him, rubbing soothing circles on his back as the coughing finally subsided, leaning to kiss him on the cheek lovingly.

Just as quick, Beth looked away and was thankful to be wearing a hoodie underneath her light jacket. She pulled the hood up and over her head as fast as possible. When the cashier came out with her food, she thrust him the cash, mumbling to keep the change (aware that she also should have probably gotten some change, but oh well if they got a sizable tip tonight), and nearly stumbled out of the door in an attempt to get the hell out of there.

Run. Run. Run away!

She was out to her car within moments, but already partially drenched, and placed the food carefully in the passenger seat of her car. She was thankful for the rain as she not so surreptitiously peered into the windows of the restaurant after starting the car.

Through the swish-swish of her windshield wipers, her suspicions and fears(?) became true. It wasn't her imagination, it was Shane. It was Lori. They were seeing each other, and she somehow felt sick to her stomach, because she didn't know what to do.

Lori got up and disappeared, probably to use the restroom.

There was a ding the indicated a text message, coming from her phone.

 _ **Shane:**_ _We should talk. - 6:37 PM_

 _ **Beth:**_ _Yeah. We should. - 6:40 PM_

She drove away then, loathsome to be anywhere near the two, a sour taste in her mouth. She normally would have never cared about such a thing. After all, she was dating a man that had a good twelve years on her. But she felt that what Shane and Lori had was wrong, in the pit of her stomach.

In no way did Rick want Lori back, in no way. However, it was a code. You didn't fuck your best friend's ex-wife. It seemed wrong.

Beth felt herself panicking. Did she talk to Shane first or tell Rick? Was it her place to tell Rick about the situation? She honestly wasn't sure. Part of her wanted to go and run, screaming for the hills about it. She knew that wasn't right. Gossip was wrong, it was wrong to spread information that didn't have the whole story to. It was wrong to whisper of private matters to other, to spread the anger, spread the rage.

On the drive home, she resolved that she would talk to Shane first. It seemed the best course, in such an awkward situation. She'd allow the man to confront his best friend, to own up to seeing Lori for who knew how long, and to let Rick decide if there was war or forgiveness to be had.

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me here," Shane said as he slid into the booth. "I know it's out of the way, but not many people from King County come here, and I know Rick is busy with paperwork for at least another hour yet."

"Yeah. I get it," Beth murmured, her eyes ducking down to peer at her glass of iced tea.

It had been three days since the incident that had yet to be named. It had been three days that she let that information she knew wallow in her mind, build a lump in her throat. She allowed herself to keep a secret from Rick for three days, and it made her sick.

"So, talk. Why are you doing it?" she didn't want to beat around the bush.

Shane sighed, rubbing his head, a nervous tick she had noted quite some time ago. He had recently shaved his nice, thick curls, leaving an angry shadow atop his head that had made him look leaner, meaner. The compulsive head rub had been more apparent lately, and now...now it kind of made sense.

"Didn't mean for it to happen," his voice went low. "It just did. We had been friends since younger, the three of us. So, Rick and Lori had problems, for years, really. Only reason getting married in the first place was 'cause of Carl." His hand clenched. "I...I didn't mean for it to happen. He was gone a lot, working a lot of overtime to avoid having to go home and I just...it happened. Too much to drink one night, we were laughing and then kissing and...I did a terrible thing."

"But you kept doing it." Her iced tea didn't look appealing anymore. It was muddy and brown and dirty, just like Shane. "Lori and Rick may have been headed for a divorce, but you were the other man, weren't you?"

Shane's head flew up, his eyes piercing and angry. "What did he tell you?"

"He told me everything. Told me about the baby, the miscarriage. We decided the be honest with each other. We wanted to make things work from the get-go and not have anything bite us in the ass." The curse word spat from her mouth, more spiteful than she had planned, but now she was angry. She had honestly thought that Shane had started seeing Lori after the divorce, not while the two were still married, and she wanted to cry for all of them, because it just didn't seem right. "He's your best friend, Shane. You've known each other your whole lives. Why did you do that?"

Another rub of his head. "I don't fucking know why." He was suddenly hostile, angry instead of apologetic. "Things happen and things had been done a long fucking time. Shouldn't even matter, he has you."

"It does matter," she whispered fiercely. "You have to tell him. He has a right to know."

"I don't know if I can. That's my partner. If he never forgives me I-"

"It's not a choice," she interrupted. "This isn't a decision that's yours to make. You gave that up when you cheated on him. It wasn't just Lori doing the cheating, it was you too. He says you're like a brother. You betrayed your brother." She leaned back, signaled politely to the waitress for her check, and turned back to him. "I'll give you to the end of the week. But if you don't tell him, I will. He has a right to know. He has to know."

Her tone was firm, didn't allow for argument, and the conversation was over.

She left the diner after paying, ready to get back to work as fast as possible, and hope that Shane would see reasoning. Unfortunately, she did not see his anger peak, a sudden, irrational wind that was so strong he cracked the glass of iced tea he held in his hands.

 **Author Note:** No excuses, really. Just life. Full-time student, mother, wife, full-time worker. I work at an accounting firm. I disappear January - April, especially. It's just too much. Unfortunately, my depression has been bad lately, like beyond bad, and I've had a hard time functioning in general. When I'm at my yearly appointment, I'm going to have to talk counseling with my doctor, because I am very afraid that I can no longer be a functioning member of society, or be good enough for my family anymore. So, with depression, sometimes comes the slipping of my muse. However, I had a bit of a spark today, and I ran with it. This is not proofread whatsoever. It burst from me and I handed it to you fresh and bloody, so I hope it makes sense. If it's horrible, please let me know. I know the tone might be totally different, I have a hard time focusing lately.

Just a really BIG side note. This story is taking a completely different turn from what I was expecting. It kind of hinged with this chapter and I have no idea where it's taking me. I can only hope you folks come along with me for the ride and enjoy it. Please let me know your thoughts. I apologize for this being on the short side. Love to all!


	14. Chapter 14

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, because I am too smutty of a person to be allowed to run AMC shows, that's for damn sure._

 **Speaking of Smut. Total smut warning of a chapter! Enjoy :D**

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 14**

"You doing okay?" he asked her two nights later. His fingers were gently gliding up and down her bare back as she lay on her stomach in bed. On the nightstand was a bottle of massage oil. He had offered to give her a rub down, noticing a tenseness in her the last few days. "Something seems...off."

Beth shrugged. The light from the television played across her face, highlighting and hiding certain features. It was some BBC show, with the soothing tone of Sir David Attenborough softly narrating in the background. They both liked having background noise around. Rick was used to the chatter of the radio at the station, and Beth had enough noise at the clinic and restaurant. Silence was not something they were used to, so white noise or programs they didn't pay attention to provided the best way to unwind the mind.

"It's just been a long week. Atlanta was a bit crazier than I thought." It was the most truthful she felt that she could be without informing Rick of Shane's betrayal. She had said she'd give the man until the end of the week, and she meant to keep her word. Just a few more days and the guilt could stop eating at her. "How was your day?"

It was best to keep him distracted, these late times. She had just finished a shift of serving at the Final Go Round, and Rick had the later evening shift, having finished up not long after her. The late nights they spent together made for exhausting mornings and work days, but both had felt it was important to spend time together, especially since Rick's schedule tended to be a bit more fluctuating then hers.

He grabbed the massage oil and squirted a bit in his hands, rubbing them together to make sure they were warm before applying firm, yet gentle pressure to her back. She felt herself melt at his touch as he started off with an all over rub before he'd target any problem areas. His hands were rough, but comforting, thumbs strong and soothing as they ghosted the knots beneath her skin.

"My day was long." She could hear the weariness in his voice. "We had a problem on a call earlier."

"What kind of problem?"

"Might be probation kind of problem."

His hands stilled on her for a moment, and she felt the trembling of his limbs.

"Rick, what's wrong?" she asked gently, probing. "Can you tell me?"

"Shane fucked up, big time." He still kept rubbing her back, applied more massage oil. It seemed the rhythm kept him focused and not as angry. "He lost it today. I was mentioning plans with you, and we got a call for domestic disturbance and we got there and...he lost it." He sighed above her, but he still worked her skin, began to almost painfully knead at the knots she had on her upper shoulders. "They're talking probation. He messed up the other guy pretty bad. I couldn't stop him."

His hands stopped and she sat up immediately. She offered a hug to him, of which he gladly took, and she cradled him as if he were fragile, though he was far from it. However, it seemed to ease his tension that had carried and his shoulders slumped.

"I asked him why he did that, why he beat that other man." He swallowed. Hard. "He said he didn't have an answer, just said that things have changed and he's just not sure if he can stay who he was." He looked up at her. "He's acting like it's the end of the world or something. Won't tell me what made it end, either."

Beth felt her heart skip a beat, and not in the good way. Her stomach dropped, like on a roller coaster, but she didn't get that fun feeling of it going back up, of the adrenaline rushing her system. All she felt was a cold, hard lump, and she hated herself just a bit.

"I'm sorry." It was all she could think to say, but she knew it wasn't enough.

"Not your fault," he said. He reached up to her, his slick, oiled hands soft on her face and she felt herself falling.

It was her fault, he just didn't know it.

She chewed on her lip, because she had nothing else that she could say without blurting the whole terrible, awful truth. In that moment, she knew withholding the information from Rick was wrong, but it was too late, and she still had to give Shane a chance, even if it looked like he wouldn't talk.

It would just be a few more days and then it would all be over.

Rick sighed and kissed her shoulders, pulling back to look at her. The stubble of his chin, although slightly graying and made him look older than he really was, made him look distinguished and oh so very beautiful. She rubbed that stubble lightly, exploring the roughness of his cheek. He kissed her palm, very soft and lovingly. When he looked back at her, she saw that his pupils had exploded, and even though he was wearing boxer briefs still, his member had hardened and strained against the fabric.

"I want to finish giving you that massage." His voice had lowered, was gravelly, and she felt herself grow warm and wet at the sound of it. "On your belly. Now."

Sometimes, when stressed, she noticed that he liked to take charge in the bedroom. She felt that maybe he liked having a degree of control over one aspect of his life, and she honestly had no problem with it. Rick was a giving, nurturing, and amazing lover. He was aware of her wants and needs, and the man was anything but vanilla, even when they were at their most laid back.

In moments like this, when he wanted and needed the control, she let him have it. She willingly gave her body and soul to him, and she found it soothed him in these times when work was hard, Lori was being difficult, or when Shane was having what was quite possibly and mental breakdown.

She complied with the command, baring her back for him yet again. She rested her head against her crossed arms, and felt herself become butter again when he touched her with well oiled hands.

His touch was long, slow, sensual. Her body gave way for him, the hardness of her body parting way to the magic of his fingers. He began again with the stroking motions all down her back, then moving to her top right side to work at the knots of her shoulder again, and while there was some pain, the relief was freeing and made her feel like she was floating in a sea of comfort quickly after the pain.

He went down her body further after her back, hands sliding along her ass, kneading and splaying across the soft flesh. She moaned as his hands spread her ass cheeks, but he did not probe or touch where she began to feel a sweet ache.

And then he worked further down. He spread her legs so her thighs were not touching, and had one hand on each leg that reached in with sweeping, circular motions. She felt her clit throb each time, just begging to be touched. However, he then focused on a single leg, working tension out of her legs she didn't know she had.

She relaxed even further, but her body was on fire now, needing his touch more intimately than what he was giving and she found herself mewling with want.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you, but I need to have you begging first." He lightly bit her ass and it jolted through her like lightning.

"Please," she breathed.

"Not yet," he said sternly, and then his hands went to work on her feet, and she moaned yet again. He was touching her feet and the pleasure was shooting up and out into her. "I just want to make you feel good. Let me do this. I need this tonight."

"Do whatever you want." She felt herself gasp when he finished and he flipped her body quite suddenly. Her legs were trembling. "Do what you need to, I'm here for any of it."

More oil was on her body so that she was slick and soft, her skin shiny, appearing oh so delicate to his eyes. He started massaging from her feet and up her legs in that slow, methodical approach. Again, her legs were spread when he reached her thighs, and she could feel her want dripping out of her core, the smell of her sex a sharp contrast to the perfume of her skin.

It hurt so much in the best way possible when his fingers reached her outer lips, she practically thrust herself towards his hands. But he still did not touch her to give her relief. He blew cool air onto her pussy and she bit her knuckles to keep from screaming, she needed him so bad.

Then he resumed his sweet torture, rubbing the oil across her skin, paying attention to her arms and releasing the tension found there. He got the kinks out of her neck, and then his hands went down her chest, to her pert breasts, and she arched her back for him. His hands were so large, grabbing and engulfing each breast. Her nipples pebbled under his touch, and he pinched them, sending more jolts of pleasure through her body down to her core.

Then he was kissing her, and it was deep, sensual. He explored every bit of her mouth that she had to offer with his tongue. Then his tongue was gone, replaced with a finger that she greedily sucked on as he nipped at her neck in a few spots before capturing one of her nipples between his teeth, sucking with just the right amount of pressure.

The fire consumed her now.

"Please," she begged once more. "Touch me. Something. Anything. I need you Rick." She was panting at this point.

Rick gave her what she wanted, needed. He was in between her legs and looking at her with such intensity, when he finally touched her there. She felt herself explode just a little, like a brilliant firecracker and had another wash of pleasure over her, coupled with the slight pain of being denied his touch for the duration of the massage.

"I think I'm going to cum," she whispered breathlessly.

He didn't say anything, but began to suck on her clit, his finger gently probing into her, before adding a second one and began a pumping motion. He placed a thumb on her clit as well to apply better pressure and stars exploded into the blackness when she closed her eyes.

The previous foreplay had heightened her sensitivity and it was only a few minutes before she felt the orgasm rise and crash over her. Rick kept the rhythm to keep the flow of the orgasm to last. Her insides clenched sporadically, and she felt another splash of wetness fall out that he eagerly lapped up.

Before she had completely subsided, he was on top of her and pressing into her warm tightness, groaning as he sheathed himself upon her. His girth stretched her and she moaned in pleasure at the feel of him, as if he was making her whole.

He grabbed her hands and entwined his fingers with hers, placing them above her head. She wrapped her legs around him, and he began to move his hips, pumping in her at a pace that was not too slow, but not fast enough to make her spiral again yet. It was almost maddening in that she felt pleasure at his movement, but it lacked the momentum of building her back up.

Hungrily, he kissed her again. She bit at his lip, teeth dragging along the bottom. He gasped into her mouth, whispered her name like a prayer, and he kissed her across her face, her chin, her ears, along the delicate curve of her neck, and it was as if he was worshiping her then, and she felt oh so powerful to have this man do such a thing as that.

Time passed and their bodies sweat with the exertion of their lovemaking. Rick then changed positions, pulling out.

"On your knees," he commanded. She did so, wiggling her ass just a little bit in the air for him, putting herself down comfortably on her elbows. "Fuck, Beth. You're killing me." He was in her again and the different angle produced new sensations, and she knew a few more thrusts would put her over the edge. She moaned again, feeling her body tightening up, that delicious coil in her stomach taking her higher yet. "Cum for me. So beautiful, so tight. You can do it."

Beads of sweat formed across his forehead as he pumped into her at a faster, more punishing pace. Beth felt to world explode again and lost her balance as she came, her face tumbling into the mattress and she screamed, literally screamed in pleasure as he continued to pound into her.

"Yes! Don't stop, Rick. Don't stop. Fuck! Yes!"

The throbbing of her orgasm began to subside, and he suddenly pulled out once more and flipped her onto her back again, but dragged her to the end of the bed so that her legs hung over the edge, though she couldn't hold them up anymore, her body limp and reeling from the last orgasm. He lifted her legs up onto his shoulders, kissed her ankles, and plunged himself in for yet another round.

The world was a kaleidoscope of color and pleasures as he pounded into her over and over.

"Beth," he kept saying. He became slack jawed, she felt his body tense. "Oh Beth. Shit. Ah!"

Rick's face when he orgasmed was one of the most beautiful things she ever witnessed. There was a light in his eyes, complete serenity, like the man was reaching a level of Nirvana that many had never been able to. It was as if all the pains in life suddenly disappeared and the way he rode his pleasure was something she hadn't seen a lot of men do. He owned it, allowed it to flow through him, but did not try to control it.

She loved that she made him feel that way.

It was only a few moments after he was finished that he then collapsed beside her, boneless and weary. The adrenaline left them both, and they lay there, half-on half-off the bed in utter exhaustion and fully sated. She smiled at him, reaching out so that her fingers brushed along his hair.

"That was…" she stopped for a moment to catch her breath again, "amazing. That was amazing." She smiled at him, and he smiled right back. Her heart felt like it might burst. She realized it then: she was in love. "Rick…"

He reached up to her and kissed her then. The blue intensity of his eyes was almost overwhelming.

"I know this might be fast but...I love you, Beth Greene."

He was sincere. She smiled, felt like her face might break in half she was so happy. It didn't matter they'd only been dating a few months. What mattered was how they felt.

She kissed him back.

"I love you as well."

 **Author Note:** *fans self frantically* Okay, so I had a bit of a fantasy going on, and it came out to play. Hope you all enjoyed. There is, again, no proofreading on this, not even my quick read through, so I hope it's acceptable. Please let me know what you think! Also, this story, in case you didn't guess from the last chapter, or previous notes is taking a bit of a sharp turn. I originally meant to write this as a bit of a fluff piece with light angst. It's going to turn into something of a different variety, and because of that, I would say that we're probably heading towards the end. I want to do that so I can actually finish it and focus on _When You Care_ , because I have no ability whatsoever to multitask stories. I'm terribly afraid of the tones and the language mixing and interfering with each other. It's a personal preference. Anyways! Let me know what you think! Chapter 15 is already partially finished, so I'm thinking sometime next week. Yay for summer and not much of anything! Love to all!


	15. Chapter 15

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, because if I did, there would be way more violent and sexual things happening in all of the best ways._

 **This story is taking a turn. Forgive me. It's writing itself and I'm just here for the ride.**

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 15**

It was another two days yet, and Rick had made no mentions of Shane's indiscretions, though there were other issues that had happened. He did however, mention how his friend was officially on probation as an investigation was launched. The other man had retreated by that point, and would not allow Rick to try and comfort him as a friend. Beth felt as if she were being eaten alive from the inside out when he had told her that evening.

She decided to text Shane, because honestly, she just couldn't take it anymore.

 _ **Beth:**_ _You're out of control. Tell him, or I will. I will not lie to Rick like this. - 4:15 PM_

 _ **Shane:**_ _Youre a fucking bitch shut the fuck upyou fucking cunt - 4:40 PM_

 _ **Beth:**_ _You don't scare me. Tell him. I'm serious. - 4:45 PM_

The text message had scared her, though. She felt herself trembling, and it was hard to keep up a smile at work. She knew that Shane was capable of violence. He was just one of those men who carried himself with a certain intensity that hit you in the pit of your stomach. He was a friendly enough man, certainly, but the recent turn of events had caused something in him to snap and bring his more primal self to the surface.

She was sure of one thing, she didn't like this new Shane.

Work at the clinic ended and she drove home to change into her other work outfit for her last shift of the week at the Final Go Round. Even though she wanted to spend her evenings with Rick, she liked having the extra money and still having her own life with the work friends at the restaurant.

Her and Tara were pretty close friends, and would hang out usually on Sunday afternoons if Rick was busy. Beth had found out some time ago that it was a little exciting to live vicariously through Tara, the woman telling her of sexual exploits across the state of Georgia. They ranged from hilarious to titillating, but all of them held fast that Tara was a strong-willed woman that wanted to just live her life to the fullest. However, a lot of those conquests had gone sideways lately, just for the fact it didn't happen anymore. Tara had mentioned a woman going to college for her degree as a psychiatrist. Denise was her name, and for once, Tara would get doe-eyed and stammer, just a bit, at the mention of the other woman. Beth found it endearing, and got a promise out of Tara that the ladies could meet one day, hopefully soon.

As Beth drove to her apartment, she felt a terrible chill that ran along her neck and through her throat. It was like a razor blade skittering across her bones. Goosebumps quickly rose all over her body, and she felt sick as she pulled into the parking lot of the complex. She looked around then, mindful of any other vehicles. She didn't see anything in the lot that was suspicious, but she did notice another vehicle down the block, with tinted windows that were a little too dark for her liking.

She made sure that the can of mace in her purse was within reach as she got out of her car and quickly headed to the front of the building, keys in her hand and at ready. Quickly, she was up the stairs in turning the lock on her apartment, slamming the door shut just as fast. She put the deadbolt and chain in for good measure, her heart pounding at an intense rate. As cautiously as she could, she went over to the window, and peeked her head out the window to see if she could find the car.

It was gone.

She felt thoroughly shaken by this point, but instead of calling in sick, decided it was still best to go to work for the evening. Maybe Tara could regale her with tall tales and help her take her mind off of things.

She'd love to hear more about Denise.

* * *

It was a busy evening, and Beth felt so rushed most of her shift that she didn't even have to time to think about the strange car or the bad feeling from earlier. Opening shift time with Tara had been nonexistent. She had gone into work to clock in, only to have to take three tables right away, the dinner shift in full swing upon arrival.

There was finally a lull around 8 PM, which she took advantage of to clean up her section as best as she could. To her delight, Rick had come in soon after she had caught up, just getting off his shift at the station for the evening. He tipped his hat to her and she smiled, her heart fluttering at the sight of him.

He looked so strong and sure of himself when in uniform. He had a bit of a stubble on his face, and though his hair had grown some, Beth had asked him to keep both like they were. Clean-shaven Rick was handsome in his own regard, but something about the longer hair and shadow that graced his face was extremely enticing and even though it made him look older, the sex appeal was too strong to ignore.

"I'm the luckiest woman alive," she whispered to herself.

"If you and Rick ever get bored and want to do a threesome sometime, I totally wouldn't object," Tara said right next to Beth's ear. "Way to spice up the relationship, you know?"

The other woman jumped. "Tara!" She playfully slapped at her friend with her order pad. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"I know. You've been really jumpy tonight. What's up?"

Beth ran her fingers through her ponytail, tightening the strap. "Just been a long week."

"Anything to do with Shane going batshit crazy and getting his ass canned?" Tara was starting at Beth, face suddenly serious.

"He didn't get fired."

"Yet."

Beth sighed. "I don't really want to talk about it." Rick had seated himself. "I'm going to go take care of him."

"Hey," Tara reached out. The warmth of her hand upon Beth's upper arm was encouraging and comforting. "Everything will be good. We'll be good, right?"

Beth nodded. "We'll be good." She smiled and Tara smiled right back.

Rick looked tired today. She could see the exhaustion in his body. There were some hard lines on his face, a sharp look in his eye that was normally not there. The situation with Shane was already taking its toll. Rumor has it that Shane was going off the deep end, had shown up drunk to work earlier today, and nearly got himself arrested. Rick was the one who had handled it and wrote the incident report. In fact, Shane had been shouting at Rick how he had ruined things and why couldn't he have been first, and whatnot. The whole situation had been confusing and spread like wildfire across town less than an hour after it had occurred.

Beth decided that whether or not Shane followed through by the end of the week, she would tell Rick tonight. An omission was just as bad as a lie, and she would not let her trust with the man she loved be broken.

"Hey you," she said soothingly as she approached him. Her hand reached out to rub across his back in a slow sweep. The tension faded out of him, but only in the slightest. "How are things?"

He sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. He looked tired, she knew he had been restless in his sleep last night. "Kind of shitty. There was...a thing at work today. I'm sure you heard about it." She nodded her head and he adopted a pained expression. "I don't know what he was talking about, Beth. I really don't. He just yelled at me that I'm a sonofabitch, that if I hadn't tried to go and do my own thing it'd be okay." He gave a small smile. "Sorry, baby. It's stupid. You don't need to get involved. He's just having a hard time with the suspension, I think. You just want to start me off with a double? I'll order a little later."

She nodded, lump in her throat. "Sure." She went to go put the order in, but then turned back at him, stare intense and he looked to her questioningly. "Rick?"

"Yeah?"

"Okay if I come over after work tonight?" She swallowed, but the lump still stayed. Her stomach felt like concrete, body struggled to move. "It's important."

The tension was back in his shoulders and she felt awful, but he nodded. "Yeah. You're always welcome to come over and stay the night. I love it when you do, I hope you know that."

She went back over and kissed his cheek. "I do. Thank you."

She made her way to the bar, putting the order into the computer, and waiting while Rosita poured what was Rick's usual on rough days: double scotch, neat. She took it back to his table, gently placing it down and quietly leaving to take care of the rest of her section. He didn't say anything, but she didn't mind. There was a lot on both of their minds.

The evening, that had started off so hectic, was finally winding down. Rick nursed his drink a while before he even ordered anything: a simple BLT sandwich, with onion rings, and a healthy dose of ranch. Three bottles of beer accompanied that meal, which to her dismay, went down a little too easily, but she wasn't his mother, and the last few months, he had laid off the hard stuff. She wasn't one to judge, only wanted to support, but seeing his pain like this was hard, and she felt completely useless.

Her section had cleared out, but Rick stayed. He was a little bleary eyed, especially after a fourth beer, but then she gave him a glass of water, and he drank it without any complaint. She was thankful that he stopped the liquor after that, even ordering a plate of fries.

Since the restaurant itself was pretty dead, she sat down with him for a quick break, snatching fries and just enjoying his company. That hard look left his eyes, and it was her Rick she saw, handsome and laughing at a terrible joke she heard the other day and had to tell him about.

"Hey lovebirds," Tara interrupted.

"Tara." Rick nodded, a bit of a smirk on his face. "How's Denise?"

Tara immediately blushed. "Good. She's good. Actually, I was kind of hoping to leave early to go surprise her." She gave a puppy dog look to Beth, clasping her hands together as she pleaded. "Would you please pretty please take my section too? I'd owe you so freaking much."

"Don't worry about it," Beth replied. "I'll probably convince Tyreese to close the kitchen early, anyways. Go have some fun."

Tara pulled her close for a bone crushing hug. "Thankyousomuch!" She said the words so fast it was almost hard to decipher. She gave Beth a large kiss on the cheek. "You're seriously the best."

"Get going, now." Beth giggled and hugged Tara back. "I'll see you Sunday?"

"Of course. Text me. Bye, Rick." The dark haired woman hugged him as well.

He gave her a squeeze. "Bye, Tara. Have fun." When she was gone, he turned to Beth and asked, "Do you want me to wait for you?"

"No. I'm fine if you're tired. I'll wake you up when I get there."

He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and handed her his credit card. "Okay. Why don't you close me out, Miss Beth." She smiled at the affection in his voice when he called her that. It was a wonderful callback to when they had first met, and caused her to feel happy and warm anytime he used it.

It only took her a few minutes to close his tab, and she was only a few more minutes still after checking on Tara's section, which had been cleared of tables as well. All that she really had left was to clean up and possibly close out her register. Seeing it was nearing 11 PM, she felt confident that kitchen would close and that Rosita would take over the bar area until the 1 AM mark.

She handed Rick his credit card and slip. "Here you go, Mr. Grimes."

He groaned in a good natured manner. "You say that and it makes me feel old, like I'm your teacher or something."

She peered throughout the dining room. There were no more tables, and the few patrons there were sat at the bar, Rosita effectively distracting them with conversation, the blare of the TV turned up for the regulars. She leaned closer to him then, her small, delicate hand placed on his knee, before it trailed up along his uniform slacks, resting comfortably along his thigh.

"Didn't I tell you that I happen to love one-on-one tutoring?" she whispered into his ear.

He clenched his hands, she saw the whiteness of his knuckles, felt his cock stir in his jeans.

"Damn you're giving me some bad ideas."

She withdrew. "Maybe another time." Her smile faltered. "Go home. You'll want some rest."

He saw the change in her posture. "You keep acting like that and you're starting to make me think you're breaking up with me." His voice was shaky. "I wouldn't ever be mad if you did. Said I'd be with you as long as you'd have me."

She wondered if it was her imagination that she saw a gleam of un-shed tears in his beautiful, brilliant, blue eyes.

"Hey now." She grabbed his hand and gripped it as if it were a lifeline. "That's not what I'm doing. But…" She bit her lip so hard she could feel skin break. "It's not that good. Look, I just need to clean and close out. I'll be over right after, okay?"

"Okay. I love you."

She felt good when he said those words. "I love you too."

He got up and left, tipping his hat to her as he walked out the door, and Beth felt very alone in that moment. She was terrified of how Rick would react. She knew Shane was prone to violence, but what about the man she loved? What was he capable of? What might he do if pushed to a limit that was previously unknown. For some reason, this is what worried her the most, not how he'd react to her holding out for the better part of the week, but how he'd react to why Shane had been going off the deep end. That worried her the most.

However, she was ready. She was ready to tell and even if it hadn't been long, she knew better then to keep secrets. Secrets are lies, and she just couldn't lie to Rick anymore.

It was at least another hour before she was able to close out the sections and put up the sign that the restaurant was closed, but the bar was still open. She found times like these relaxing, though the adrenaline of the evening would wear off and the exhaustion kicked in. The methodical cleanup provided a mindless routine that allowed her to empty her thoughts, and tonight of all nights, she was very appreciative of that.

* * *

"I'll take these bags out back with me, Rosita. See you next week!" Beth hollered as she opened the door to the back of the Final Go Round.

She went out into the cool evening air, dragging three large bags from the kitchen along with her to the dumpster. The parking lot was mostly empty out front, and there were only a few cars in the back that belonged to the employees. There was the buzz of the street light, and the clang of metal as she tossed the bags into the dumpster, but for the most part, it was completely quiet.

Work all done, she dug her keys out of her purse to get to her car, and reacted too late to the sound of hurried footsteps that came closer. Her head was slammed into the metal siding of the dumpster with such force that she felt her neck snap in an uncomfortable way and saw jarring colors as her world started to turn black.

Instinctively, she swung wildly with one arm, while the other fumbled for the mace can in her purse, but the attempt was thwarted as her head was thrown into the dumpster once again, and her ears rang at a frequency that she wasn't meant to hear. She could feel her body crumpling under the force of the attack, but got the mace out and blindly sprayed it out and away from herself.

The air was instantly threatening and she felt her eyes sting, the coughing brought on, but there was an angry shout.

"You fucking bitch!"

It was Shane, and Beth's blood ran cold.

Oh.

No!

He punched her again, and she knew that was when she wouldn't get back up.

"Going for a ride," was the last, muffled thing she heard.

Then it all went black.

 **Author Note:** I AM SO SORRY EVERYONE! When I began this story, I meant it as a fluffy, smutty piece, I really did. There would be the bit about Beth's music and questioning the relationship. Shane and Lori would be found out, but it would be fine overall. It wouldn't be angst, suspenseful, or scary, and I feel like the next chapter and after will definitely be taking the turn. Trust me, it was a total hard left. I wasn't expecting this, but Shane went off the deep end for me and I just couldn't stop it. Please forgive me! But if you stick around, I promise that there is a light at the end of this story. Now, you have to keep reading to see if our Beth makes it out of this alive or not! *gasps*Chapter 16 is already written, but I have to go back because my brain went haywire and changed the verb tenses, so I've only just skimmed it and have to fix it. This one again has no beta reading, so if it's a major fuckup, let me know.

Please tell me what you all think! Whether you love it or hate it, I want to know. Love to all!


	16. Chapter 16

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, because if I did, there would be way more violent and sexual things happening in all of the best ways. Sex and violence are nearly synonymous in TWD world!_

 **Trigger warning: Intense violence**

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 16**

Her head hurt the most. Well, pretty much her entire body hurt, but her head hurt the most. As the world slowly came back to her, she was able to realize that she was tied, both around her wrists and ankles, and that she was in the trunk of a car, or at least what she assumed was a trunk. It was cramped, bouncy, and just a terrible place to be, regardless of circumstances.

This wasn't happening.

It wasn't.

It couldn't.

Things like this were crazy, and things like this certainly didn't happen to people like her. The worst things to happen was gossip because she was dating a man a good 10 years older than her, and getting hit by a car. While those things could induce drama, it was nowhere near whatever this had become.

This was beyond fucked up, and she had no idea what was going to happen.

She looked for the emergency trunk open latch, but noticed that the spot where it should be was ripped out.

She tried the ropes, but they were tight, almost painfully so. Of course, her cell phone was no longer on her, and there was a piece of duct tape over her mouth to prevent her from screaming. She tried to not let herself panic, but she wasn't sure she could stop it from happening.

 _"Breathe, you're alive, just breath."_

She wasn't sure why Rick's voice came to her then like that, but it was comforting, and just about the only thing that kept her grounded.

Rick!

He'd be worried about her. He would have to be. She had told him that she would be at his house soon. He'd have to think something was up. How long had it been, even? Where was she being taken to? What the hell was Shane thinking in the first place?

The panic was there again, but then she took another deep breath. She was not going to die, she would get through this, whatever this situation was. She would make it!

Beth Greene was a survivor.

First, she twisted her body to a more comfortable position, and placed herself so that her feet were closer to the opening of the trunk. She tried pulling on the ropes, but they seemed to stay in place, even the ones that were around her ankles. Frustrated, she slammed her feet against the trunk lid, trying a few well placed kicks with the hopes that it would open for her.

It didn't.

 _Think, Beth, think! There has to be something that you can use. What can you do right now?_

She began to feel around in the darkness, trying to feel if there was anything rolling around that she could use to her advantage. Unfortunately, while the trunk seemed devoid of any objects that could possibly aid in her escape, she did realize that the compartment for the spare tire was right beneath her.

It took way longer than she had anticipated, but she was able to get the loose covering for the tire pushed up and away a little, so that her hands could reach down into the open space. She wasn't able to reach where the tire jack or car lift was, but the axle piece that held the tire in place was within reach, and with that the sharper edge of metal.

Her fingers slid along the metal and she cut herself quite messily, but then had the rope hooked in a way where it was forced to slide against that one sharp edge. She laughed in triumph as best as she could with tape over her mouth, and tried to move the rope over the metal in a sawing motion.

It felt like an eternity as she worked at the rope, and the panic began to set in once more as the vehicle seemed to slow and began to jostle around more violently, as if they had hit a different terrain. She slipped with a particularly large bump, and her hands jammed down into the tire space. The sharpness bit into her skin in a jagged motion, and she could smell the coppery blood in the air, felt a flash of fire streak from the point of contact and up her arm. She hissed with the pain.

Still, she tried to saw at the rope. Everything was getting slick though, the blood flowing a little faster than she had expected, and the car was bouncing so much more than before. She hit the lid of the trunk several times and was jostled around like a rag doll.

Then, the car came to a stop.

She heard the car door slam and there was the sound of footsteps, though those were softer sounding than the door. The trunk was opened, and a flashlight that was shining down on her was blinding. She squinted, trying to get a hold of her surroundings, but it wasn't working.

"You're awake. Good. I was afraid you wouldn't wake up, but you need to be awake for this." Shane grabbed her by her t-shirt, hauling her out of the trunk. The material ripped in his grip, and she was scratched and bruised against the vehicle as she fell out and was thrown to the ground. She moaned at the pain. "Shut the fuck up. This is your fault. I didn't have a choice."

She was screaming behind the tape now. Twisted and turning, she tried to roll away from him, do anything to get away from a man she no longer knew.

"Go ahead and scream all you want." He grabbed her legs and pulled her over to him. They were in the middle of nowhere. It seemed like an off-road area in the forest. The dirt and twigs from the ground scratched at her back. There was a shovel that was sticking up from the ground, and the lights of the car. Other than that...nothing else. "No one's gonna hear you. And Rick won't hear you again. God Beth, if you just kept your fucking mouth shut."

"You're crazy!" she tried to scream at him, but the tape made it sound incoherent.

The very real thought that she would die tonight crossed her mind.

She started crying.

"Ahw fuck," he spat. He had grabbed the gun that was tucked into the waistband of his pants. She didn't know too much about them, but she knew it wasn't his police issued one. It looked to be from his personal collection, a big one that would probably blow her head off. He rubbed his head nervously, looking around as if someone could sneak up on him. "I don't know what to do. What do I do?"

She was trying to rub her wrists together, get some sort of friction going. Shane seemed distracted. She heard her cell phone ringing in his car, with Rick's special ringtone, and her heart hammered in her chest. Was he going to answer it? Could she signal to Rick that she was in trouble?

"Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Shane yelled. He turned around and went to the car. Beth could feel the rope weaken. She had put just the right amount of pressure on it earlier when sawing at it in the trunk. He came back to her with her phone. It had stopped ringing. "What do I text him to make him stop calling? This is the third time. Tell me what to do."

"Go fuck yourself!" she retorted behind the tape.

While he couldn't understand her, he seemed to get the gist of her hostility held behind her eyes, and he kicked her, flat footed on her side, but it still hurt like a sonofabitch. It was suddenly hard to breathe, and she curled up to prevent him from kicking her in the same spot again.

He bent down by her, and his fingers were gentle when they were on her face. Then the tape was being ripped off, the pain from that sudden and intense. She screeched when he pulled it from her skin, and he slapped her, for good measure it seemed. Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes, but she wisely stayed silent.

"Text him. Tell him you're sick, tell him whatever you need to tell him to stop him calling." He cocked the hammer of the gun though, pointing it at her, and she felt her blood run cold. She was a deer caught in the headlights and she lost the ability to move, to even think. "And if you do anything! Anything at all! You do anything to tip him off or make him suspicious and I blow your fucking brains out all over the ground right now."

"Why are you doing this?" She thought her voice would be stronger, but it was caught between and sob and a whine. "Please, Shane. Let's go back. I won't tell anyone. I promise." She was pleading now, but she didn't care. She just had to get away from him. She had to get help. "I won't tell Rick anything. I haven't said anything yet, I can still keep qui- Ah!"

He struck her again, but with a pistol this time.

It hurt.

A lot.

She felt her skin split open on impact. The blood ran quickly and freely down her face. The air itself hurt on the open wound.

Beth howled with the pain, and on instinct, her legs kicked out, shoving Shane back who was caught off guard. She felt her body surge with adrenaline, and through some stroke of luck, she was able to break free of the ropes around her wrists.

Her cell phone was in view, just out of reach. While Shane seemed in a daze still, she grabbed her phone and pressed the call button several times in hopes that it would ring to someone, to anyone. She caught sight of the screen, and saw it had dialed Rick and connected. She pulled it to her ear.

"Beth?" Rick's voice seems distant, panicked. "Where are you? Beth!"

But her body was in overdrive, and Shane was scrambling over to her, there's no time to think. Action was the only key. "Rick! Help!" She was screaming, and Shane was on her. She threw the phone off a little ways into the tall grass so he can't get to it right away and hoped that it didn't break. She hoped that the call was still connected. She's still screaming. "He's gonna kill me." Her voice turned up all the way, and she could only pray that Rick heard her somehow. "Shane is going to kill me!"

And then Shane punched her, hard. It's so hard that she knew something in her face just broke. She almost passed out then, but still hung on somehow. The adrenaline was beyond overdrive at that point. Her survival instinct had kicked in, and she knew she needed to get away, fast, or she's dead and buried in bumfuck middle of nowhere.

He was on top of her suddenly, and his hands have closed around her throat.

"If I'm going down, then you won't be around for it." He seemed desperate as he said those words, and she knew that he didn't plan on living himself for much longer. "It should have been me! She should have picked me first. Fucking, bitch!"

Her vision was starting to blur, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she'd pass out. Was he going to try to choke her to death? That would take too long. Maybe he just wanted her to be unconscious before he shot her?

Desperate, her hands roamed the ground near her, looking for anything to use.

And there was the gun.

Shane must have dropped it when she had kicked him back, and in his rage, completely forgotten about it. She clutched it like a lifeline, then brought it up as hard as she could, smashing it into the side of his head. His grip on her loosened, though his hands stayed on her throat. Just as quick, she hit him again as hard as she could, his skull seeming more delicate than it had originally. He let go of her at that point, and fell back, clearly stunned.

Without checking to see if Shane was okay, Beth crawled as fast as she could to the car. She was halfway in, and saw a simple pocket knife sitting in the middle console. She swapped the gun for the knife, and quickly turned over to free the restraints at her ankle.

She's punched in the face again by him, and fell back into the car, though she's still holding the knife.

"Stop!" she yelled at him. "Stop it!"

He kneed her in the gut as he hopped on her, and the breath was forced out of her. Her throat, still raw from being choked, burned ever harder as she struggled to get air.

She would not die, not like this.

Thankful for those daily jogs she took (and resumed after her cast was removed), she once again kicked at him with her feet. Her legs were powerful and enough to push him back far enough for her to get into a defensive position. She firmly held the little pocket knife, eyes shining with tears, but the rest of her body steady.

"Shane. Don't. Don't come any closer. Please, don't make me do this." She was nearly crying again, completely terrified. "Stay back." God, her voice doesn't sound like her anymore. "Just. Stop."

But he didn't hear her, not that she thought he would. She could have only hoped.

He was practically crawling over her body, some snake of rage and insanity. She tried to kick him off again, but he was ready, and trapped her legs beneath him. The look in his eyes showed he was too far gone. It was either her or him, but what if it was both?

He was reaching for the gun, and without warning, her body took over.

She rammed the small blade of the knife into his throat.

There was a weird squelch, and when she pulled the knife out, blood wasn't squirting everywhere like she had expected, though it was running fast. He looked confused, but then fell back, hand on his throat an in effort to staunch the flow. Dimly, she realized that she had missed his artery and that the blade had only hit muscle, but he was still bleeding fast.

With Shane incapacitated, she ran in the direction of her cell phone where she had last thrown it. It took her longer than she anticipated, but she finally found it. The call with Rick had ended, and she wondered if he knew anything that was happening.

Frantically, she dialed 911. The call was confusing and longer than she'd like. She told them about Shane stabbed in the neck, and was directed to stop the bleeding. It seemed like he had lost consciousness, and she used her apron on his neck, pressing hard under the direction of the operator. She didn't call Rick, though she wanted to, but she was determined that the bastard in front of her stayed alive. She didn't want to kill him, she really didn't, and if she could help it, she'd keep Shane alive until the paramedics came.

The cops and ambulance were on the scene within a few minutes, it seemed. Chaos erupted, and one squad car haphazardly parked had drawn guns and shouted at her to lie down on the ground and disarm herself of any weapons.

"It's Beth! Let her go, that's my girlfriend! Beth! I'm here!"

She saw Rick running towards her from the squad car furthest out. His uniform was rumpled, shirt still partially unbuttoned, like he had thrown clothes on as quick as he could before driving out. The other cops let up as he ran past them and skidded into the dirt beside her. The paramedics closely followed behind, and as Rick pulled her away from Shane, they took over. At the rate they were moving, she could tell that he was still alive, at least for the moment.

"Beth. Baby girl, look at me." He was gentle but insistent, and she looked at his face, finding comfort in the blueness of his eyes. "Are you okay?"

There was a hard lump in her throat, and the adrenaline began to leave her body. She practically collapsed on the ground. "He tried to kill me. I'm so sorry." She started to cry. "I just...he was going to kill me and I didn't know how to stop him."

"Ssshhh." He shushed her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. "It's okay, I'm right here. I'm right here."

She hugged him right back for all she was worth and cried because there was nothing else to do.

 **Author Note:** That was super intense! And the turn has happened. I don't know why, but the story went this way, and this is where we are at. There is nothing else I can do. Accept the turn, and hope that things will get better. Spoiler, I'm a sucker to fluffy endings. Also, I won't lie, I was afraid of the response last chapter. I can only hope that you stuck it out with me. Violence on women, well on anyone, is unacceptable. I know that for some people, that may have been hard to read. I wanted to convey Beth in the most realistic sense of the situation as possible. We have to remember, she hasn't been hardened by the apocalypse, but she is a little older, a little wiser, and I think she's always had the potential to take care of herself, just like she showed us in the Grady arc. So, I hope that even with her crying, it was clear it wasn't because she was a wuss. She was in a very intense and scary situation, and I personally feel that tears are justified, especially because she fought back and she persevered.

Let me know your thoughts, good or bad. Chapter 17 is like 3/4 of the way done. I started summer classes this week for college, so my schedule is a little messed up (just this semester and then fall...then I graduate!). Love to all!


	17. Chapter 17

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, seriously. Don't sue. No money. Yada yada yada._

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 17**

Shane was airlifted to Grady Hospital in Atlanta for surgery, and Beth was taken to a separate local hospital for her injuries. She had a zygomatic break from when Shane punched her in the face, as well as 2 fractured ribs and had dislocated several fingers. Her left hand needed stitches, and she had plenty of bruises as well.

She felt like shit.

Because of the unusual nature of the case, instead of getting to relax in a hospital bed with some morphine, some detectives were strolling into the room as soon as she had been treated for her injuries. She noticed a cop was posted outside of her door. Rick had been forcibly removed from her about an hour before, but not before he had promised to be back as soon as they were done questioning her, and told her to not say anything until there was a lawyer present.

Two men stood before her. They were detectives from Atlanta. Apparently, because of Shane's issue with probation, they had to bring in outside members to ensure a proper investigation. The taller, older man, with a smoky Southern drawl and fine-parted hair introduced himself as Phillip Blake. The other man, somewhat shorter with a nicely trimmed goatee and dark brown hair was called Gareth West.

"Now, I know you're tired Miss Greene, but the sooner we can get your statement, the sooner you can go to sleep," Phillip said kindly. He had both his hands in his pocket with a nice suit that fit his frame perfectly, giving an air of sophistication that Beth hadn't seen among detectives. "Now my partner Gareth said that you are romantically involved with Mr. Walsh's partner, a uh…Mr. Rick Grimes?"

She remained silent. The look that Phillip gave her was cold, calculating, and she felt a shiver go up her spine. She didn't want to incriminate herself in any way, but she wasn't sure how to proceed.

"Miss Greene," Gareth said. "Beth, may I call you Beth?" She nodded. "Okay, good. Beth, we know it's been a long and terrible night. I know that things are confusing and terrible right now, but we're not the bad guys here. We're just trying to find out what happened, that's all. We know Mr. Walsh was on probation for an unrelated incident, but we're just trying to find out why you both ended up in the middle of nowhere looking like you're trying out for Fight Club."

She took a deep breath. "It's kind of a long and complicated story, and I'm sorry, I know you do want to help but...I just think I need a lawyer first, like Rick said."

Phillip gave a little laugh and Beth clenched at her sheets, felt all of her muscles tense in response.

"Rick Grimes," he said, "isn't here. He doesn't speak for you. You're an able bodied woman, aren't you? Do you think you need a lawyer because you're afraid you're guilty?" He leaned in to her, and while he was a charismatic man, she could see something hard and cold beneath the surface, like a shark waiting in the shallows. "Because it looks that way to us, and you don't want us thinking that way."

The room was uncomfortably silent.

There was a crisp clicking sound of someone walking in the hallway, and then the door to Beth's room was flung open in one, confident sweep.

"Okay boys, you've had enough one-on-one time. Leave her alone." The voice belonged to an average height woman wearing heels to make her almost as tall as Gareth, with medium length blonde hair that was beautifully curled, and expertly applied makeup, even though it was probably three in the morning. She wore a slim brown pantsuit and carried a matching leather briefcase. "I need to talk to my client."

"The fuck are you doing here, Andrea?" Gareth asked angrily. "I know she," he pointed at Beth, "didn't call you, so how the fuck did you hear about this?"

"Gareth," Andrea replied calmly, "I think you and your Governor need to leave now."

The calm and friendly facade gone, Gareth stormed out of the room angrily. Phillip however, remained calm and eyed Andrea appraisingly.

"You're looking well," he said. His voice was charged with something electric, suggestive. "But I'm surprised a civil rights attorney would be in here. You don't think she needs a criminal defense lawyer?"

"Don't be a presumptuous ass, Blake," Andrea barked. "Let's let this slide and we will see you tomorrow afternoon for a statement. Now get the fuck out of here."

Phillip nodded, smirked, and walked away from Beth. He stopped by Andrea, leaned in close and whispered something unintelligible, but it caused Andrea's eyes to widen and her body go stiff in response. It brought a sneer to her face, one that stayed until the tall, well-spoken man had left, and although physically he was gone, his presence was still there and suffocated both of the women in different ways.

After a moment, Andrea introduced herself to Beth. "Hi. I'm Andrea Holden. I'm going to represent you, if that's okay with you."

Holden. Holden. Where did that sound familiar?

And then it clicked.

"You're Amy's sister, aren't you?" Beth asked. Looking at the older woman, she now saw the resemblance. The strong eyes and blonde hair with the high cheekbones and full-lipped smile were reminiscent of Amy, though Amy had a decidedly more youthful face. Andrea was taller, skinnier, and more big city than Amy ever had been. "She's told me about you. Why are you here?"

"Rick cashed in his favor." Andrea took the seat besides Beth's bed. She gave Beth a critical eye, sizing up her new client. "Phillip's right though, I'm a civil rights attorney and if this goes to trial, it's going to be a mess. Are you ready for that? I can probably find a criminal defense lawyer."

Beth shook her head a bit frantically. "No, no. If Rick called you in, it's because he trusts you, and if Rick trusts you, then I do too."

"Fair enough." Andrea pulled out a legal sized notepad and a pen from her briefcase. "So I know you are tired, and this is the last thing you want to do, but we should talk, at least briefly about what has happened. I will want every detail, but if you can at least give me a general idea of what's going on, I can start seeing what your rights are going to be, and try to be aware of what the Governor and Termite are going to try and pull on you."

"Governor and Termite?"

"The two detectives that were just here. Phillip is the Governor and Gareth is a Termite." Andrea waved her hand flippantly. "I know, weird nicknames, but the Governor got his because he's a hardass that governs his entire department. He's a lead detective, and Gareth is Termite because he's just like a little bug and burrows into everything, destroys it from the inside out. You sometimes can't see the problem til it's too late. He has a knack for attacking those problems. Anyways, they're not fun to go against individually, let alone together." Andrea slumped in the hospital chair a bit. "Now, what did you do that made Shane Walsh try to kill you?"

Beth looked away. "I need to talk to Rick first."

Andrea sighed. "Anything you're going to tell him about what happened, you really need to tell me."

"No, I know, but there's something I've been needing to tell him, and I need to talk to him first." God, she hurt so much right now, and she was tired, so very tired. "I promise I'll tell you everything right away, but I have to talk to him. It needs to happen."

"Alright." Andrea got up. "I'll go get him." She then pointed a finger at Beth. "But! We are talking as soon as you're done, and you better be quick if you want to get the good drugs and get some sleep."

Beth smiled slightly, but then winced from the pain. "Deal."

* * *

When Rick entered the room, Beth realized how tired he was. It looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks, and it had aged him considerably, more so than when she had seen him at the Final Go Round earlier in the evening, and she felt like dirt. She felt more worthless than dirt.

She didn't deserve him.

"Rick." She whispered his name, afraid she'd start crying. "Rick. I'm so sorry."

"No," he said fiercely, and came over to her. His hand was gentle on her head, stroking at her hair, and he kissed her on the forehead, love pouring out of him through that one kiss. "No. This is not your fault. I don't care what happened to cause it, this is not your fault. He had no right. He's a dead man."

"Did he...is he going to make it?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. From what I heard, he's still in surgery. You missed the artery, but it's still pretty rough." He gave a big sigh and fell back into the office chair. "He's my...was...my best friend...and I don't want him to make it."

"Don't you dare say that, Rick Grimes," she chided. "Don't say those things." She wanted to cry, but she wouldn't. "And...I need to tell you something. It's about Shane...and Lori."

His knuckles were white against the armrests, but he nodded, his eyes sharp. "Say what you need to."

It spilled out of her, the untold truth, the story. She felt like she couldn't stop once she started. She told him everything from the beginning, how she had seen Shane and Lori at the Thai food place in Atlanta. She told him that Shane had texted her and she secretly met with him to hear his side of the story, how she found that Shane was the other man that Lori had been having an affair with. She told Rick of how Shane started going off the deep end, how it probably led to his probation because of his outburst during the domestic call. She told him that Shane had sent her threatening texts, how she planned on telling Rick everything once she had been done with her shift.

She then blamed herself for her stupidity about going out in the dark by herself when it was clear that Shane meant to do her harm, and that was when she cried. She put herself in danger, hadn't even been thinking, only thought how she wanted to go to him, Rick, to just be with him and for her to absolve herself of this sin of lying to him. She cried telling him about fighting Shane off, how she had tried to give him a warning and a chance to stop, but it was too late, and that's when she had stabbed the man, because she knew in that instant it would either be him or her, and he wasn't going to give her any chances.

"I just thought he deserved a chance to tell you," she sobbed. She was so tired of crying, but it just wouldn't stop, and Rick had a stunned look on his face. He stared at her helplessly and she felt even worse. "And I feel like shit I didn't tell you. I'm the worst and I'm so sorry. I am so sorry."

She dissolved then at that point. It had already been such a long night, the adrenaline had been gone for hours, and she just couldn't do it anymore. The confession to Rick pushed her over the edge and she hated feeling the way she did, but knew that everything was too much at the moment. So, she let herself dissolve into the tide of sadness, and kept crying.

For several minutes, that was the only sound that filled the lonely room, harmonizing with the beep of the machines by the bedside.

Then, Rick was crawling into the bed, lifting Beth's lithe body up and onto him, so he held her protectively against his chest, mindful of her injured parts. He hummed a song then, something generic, nothing in particular, no lyrics or said anything, but just hummed, and the vibrations of his body were comforting to her. He just held her and hummed while she cried, until she was done, and he still stayed after.

"You should have told me right away," he said, voice low and rumbling. "But I get it. I know what Shane and I have is long and old. I know you wanted to give him a chance, but you should have told me. Something like that, it can't just be held back."

"I know."

"But…" Rick closed his eyes a moment and tried to regain some sense of composure. "Shane was my best friend. He was a brother to me. And him and Lori...why didn't she just tell me? I wish she would have told me she wasn't happy." He bit back a sob. "Why though? I just...I can't forgive him. Maybe I could have before. I don't know. It would have been hard, but maybe I could have been the better person and...now everything's a mess. I can't. I just can't."

"I'm so sorry." She kissed him gently, even though it hurt, and he kissed her back. "So sorry."

"I know. I know. Just...give me some time. I'm hurting. I'm angry. I just need some time."

She nodded. "Okay."

With that, he detangled himself from her, gently getting out of the bed. There was a tightness to his eyes that indicated the depths of the anger he had mentioned. She could see the fury barely contained in his body, and it scared her.

For the first time since she met him, she was a little scared of Rick Grimes and what he could possibly do.

 **Author Note:** I honestly thought I posted this chapter, and then I looked at the last time the story was updated and it was like ooooooo you didn't. BAD GWEN! Slowing down and getting back to fluff territory the next chapter. I'm not very far into 18, so forgive me, that will take some time. I did finish 1 class early, so I'm down to 1 on a weekly basis, and that's only a few weeks, so yay! I also started a round of Sertaline for my anxiety/depression. I got the guts to talk to my doctor, and she prescribed me and is sending me to a counselor. I'm hoping it helps and I appreciate the wonderful comments and concern that the community here at ff net has given me. Thank you all so very much, it's extremely appreciated. On a super side note, I think I may post this story over at A03 as well. I've never done other fanfic sites, but I've lurked over there and kind of dig it!

Anyways, tell me what you all think. I hope this has been a good, cathartic chapter. Love to all!


	18. Chapter 18

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, seriously. Don't sue. Especially because I'm not a spoilerific person that endangers that part of the fandom, I'm just a canon-rejecting happy fool :D_

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 18**

The next few days went by in a blur, but was agonizingly slow at the same time. Beth gave her full story to Andrea so she could begin what necessary preparations were needed, and then they gave an official statement to the detectives and signed off on it at the hospital the following day. She was to stay under observation the next few days before a discharge, something she hadn't been looking forward to, especially since Rick hadn't come back since the first night.

He said he needed some time.

She'd give him time, however much he needed.

But it was killing her.

She wanted to call him, to text him. She wanted him to come back and hold her. It was so very lonely, and the nightmares just made it worse. She dreamt of the kidnapping, of Shane. She dreamt sometimes of Rick in those dreams, that he was the one choking her with his hands around her throat. He was the one that was trying to kill her. He was the one that she stabbed in the throat, but it wasn't just that trickle of blood. In her dreams, Rick's blood was bright red, and sprayed in a brilliant arc all over her, until she was drowning in that red, and his hands were still on her throat when she was drowning. In those dreams, Rick was the demon and Shane stood to the side, howling with laughter and a knife in his neck.

It was those dreams that made the loneliness that much worse.

All too soon, her discharge day came about, and she was terrified. She was terrified to have to call Tara or Amy or someone else for a ride home and go to an empty apartment. She had cried herself to sleep, even though it had only be three days, and she knew she'd do that for at least several more.

Friends and frequent patrons of the Final Go Round and the vet clinic showered her with flowers, cards, and gifts galore. There were plenty of visits during the day and early evenings, plenty of hours wasted in conversation, but without Rick, it was just empty space.

Released from the hospital with enough tranquilizers, muscle relaxers, and painkillers, the doctor had made it clear that Beth needed rest, and time especially, if she was going to recover from the trauma. It was highly suggested that someone stay with her to make sure she was okay. She needed to make sure she wasn't alone in this.

All alone.

She stood outside the hospital, dressed in fresh clothes that Tara had retrieved for her from her apartment, and freshly brushed hair. Her face was a nightmare, she felt, when she had looked at herself in the mirror that morning. It was a myriad of bruises, the break in her her face a puffed, angry swelling on her cheek, partially closing her eye that was bloodied red from what wasn't swollen shut. She had reds, blues, purple and greens in varying degrees. On her neck was a blossoming of harsh fingerprints where Shane had gripped her neck, a grim necklace that was a harsh reminder of the events that had transpired.

She was quite the sight, like one of those final girls in a particularly gruesome slasher movie, she joked to herself. Except in this movie, she wasn't attractive with expertly placed blood droplets or the right sheen of sweat to accentuate her high cheekbones. In this movie, she looked terrible and no longer herself. She had survived a brutal attack, and there was nothing beautiful or sexy about that.

Agonizingly, she looked at her cell phone, unsure who to call. The screen was blank, there weren't any texts. She knew that Tara was working an afternoon shift, and Amy was probably sleeping a hangover off. Maybe Rosita? The woman worked nearly every night at the bar, but the soft-spoken, yet firm woman did offer her help, if Beth ever requested it. Honestly, she hadn't even called her family yet. She didn't want to tell her strong-willed sister, or her stern father, that she had been kidnapped and beaten by someone who had gone off the deep-end. How did a conversation like that, anyways? "Hey Daddy, just calling to say hi. Also, I got beat up real bad, and there's a huge investigation, but I'm alive."

She would have slapped herself for that if it wouldn't have hurt so much.

Calling and telling family what happened would happen, later, and at a time after she could get everything straight. The whole incident with Shane was so completely outlandish that she felt she'd have to start from the very beginning of her courtship with Rick, just so it didn't seem like she was part of some weird soap opera drama or another.

"They told me you'd been discharged. You should have called." His voice was warm on her skin, warding off the chill of the day, and she felt her breath hitch, but she didn't turn to face him. He was standing beside her, and she couldn't bear to see the beautiful lines of his face, the hardness of sureness of his body when he stood. "I worried about you."

 _But you didn't come._

She didn't say that, though, she couldn't. It wasn't in her to be a bitter and vindictive person, no matter how much she was hurting. She knew that he was hurting more.

"I just got out of here. Been a couple minutes is all," she finally replied, breaking the silence.

He nodded. She finally looked up to him. Damn, she was small compared to him. She had never been a big person, and Rick wasn't the tallest man either, by any means. In fact, he was downright average in height, but compared to her slight stature, he stood a full head above her. Often times, flat footed, she had to go on her tiptoes when she kissed his cheek. He would bend down when he swept her up in his arms, and at night, he was wrapped around her body comfortingly in all the best ways possible.

He gave her a soft, reassuring smile, eyes crinkling in the corners, the wrinkles just a little more pronounced.

God, she loved him so much.

"I want you to stay." He was facing her now, and she looked up at him. "With me."

Her heart stopped for a moment.

"What about Carl?" she asked nervously.

"What about Carl?" Rick raised an eyebrow, his tone suggesting that she not argue with him on the matter. "Carl is old enough to understand people dating. We're not going to shove our relationship in his face. I think he can handle it. You can't be alone now, Beth. I want you to stay with me, for a while at least."

"Okay, but what about Lori? Will she be mad or give you trouble?"

He shook his head. "She's got no right to be mad, and if she gives me trouble, she's going to get one hell of a surprise." He grinned. "Saved up for a retainer fee on a good lawyer that's dealt with custody cases a lot. Michonne Gurira is her name. She's based out of Atlanta, like Andrea is."

Beth felt her opposition on the matter waning, though she didn't have much heart to fight it in the first place. If he wanted her staying with him, she knew better than to say no on the matter. Rick was a stubborn man, in all the best ways possible. She sighed. "I mean...as long as I'm not causing more trouble. I don't think I can handle that right now." She grabbed his hand, and he threaded his fingers through hers, her body sparking at the touch. "Thank you."

Physically, she couldn't handle a lot of things. Walking was difficult, and the broken ribs caused pain whether sitting or standing. Even minimal movements resulted in long, sharp pains on her side. She found lying down in bed was best, propped at a comfortable angle by a multitude of pillows, and had stayed that way as long as she could in the hospital. The painkillers were a blessing and a curse in disguise. They made the pain stay away, but all of the medications made her slow, sloppy, and just loopy enough to have her feel like she was caught between a falling dream and sweet, forgiving blackness. Often times, her body would jerk awake, and she'd be staring into the dark, confused and alone.

After reluctantly agreeing to be taken care of, Rick took Beth to her apartment, with several boxes and all the bags they could find. They then proceeded to pack up much more of her home than she had thought they would. While she had expected a duffle bag or two of clothes and a few amenities, he had proceeded to grab her homemade quilts, pillows, and most of her bathroom. He even grabbed the bottle of Mrs. Meyers basil fabric softener, letting her know he'd order another bottle as soon as possible, claiming that he wanted her as comfortable as possible, and really, she had the best sheets and blankets, much better than anything he had at home.

After a few hours, the entire back of his pickup truck filled, Rick took her to his home. It felt different now, the house. She had been here many times before, late evenings and early mornings. They had spent time curled up around the fire pit out back, and she had lounged many hours on the comfy, old couch downstairs in the living room.

They were at the door to the house, when he swept her up in his arms, gently carrying her bridal style across the threshold.

She almost giggled when she saw the way the living room had been set up. The sofa had been pushed to the side to make more room, with a large amount of pillows to make for a comfy makeshift bed. One of her old quilts that she had taken for picnics and left with him was laid out, and there was takeout from the local Chinese cafe, sparkling cider, and cutlery, all arranged quite artfully on the quilt. It was obvious that a lot of planning had gone into the scene before her, and she felt special in that moment.

"This is...beautiful," she whispered. Ever so gently, he laid her down on the bed of pillows, arranging them so she was comfortably propped up. "You didn't have to do this, I hope you know."

He shrugged and sat down beside her, groaning a little as he stretched out. She noticed the way his arms flexed in all the right ways, and couldn't help but feel a jolt as one of his amazing hands cupped her face. "I know I didn't need to, but I wanted to." His stare was electric, voice low and comforting in all the right ways. "The last few days have been hard, and I'm sorry I wasn't there. I just... I've done a lot of thinking lately, cleared my head. Had my time. Thought maybe we should do something that's good and relax."

"For like five minutes," she joked, easing some of the tension.

He laughed his deep, throaty chuckle that was genuine and oh so full of life. "Yeah, five minutes. I'd like that." He gestured to the spread out before them. "Care for a picnic to go with that relaxing?"

Her stomach gurgled and she blushed as he laughed at the awkward noise. "Yeah, I could use some food. And a movie? I might not be the best company when I take my medication though, gets me drowsy."

He kissed her, gently, slowly, and for the first time in the last few weeks, she felt whole again.

"Well, drugged up or not, you're still my favorite partner for. Ah, what do they say? Netflix and chill?"

She giggled. "Please. Don't. You sounded like an old man when you did that!"

"Well I'm getting there every day. I think I'll beat you to it," he joked. It was then that the moment sobered, when he seemed to lean back and take a long, hard look at her face. "I really am sorry I wasn't there for you, when you needed it. I know you needed something, maybe not me, but something."

"Don't say-"

"Stop it," he shushed her gently. "Just. Stop." He touched her, gently, eyes pleading for her to listen to him. "What happened….I...Beth it just...it was a lot." He sighed. "And I ran away when I should have just sucked it up and been there for you. I got angry, and a little bit of it was at you for the wrong reason. I'm just...things have been over between me and Lori for a long time. And it's not that I'm even angry about them...I'm just. God, I'm not making a lot of sense am I?"

"Just take your time, it's okay."

"Of course it hurts that they did that. Lori was my wife, even if things weren't great, and Shane was a brother. I never once...even at our worst...and she did that, and...pregnant! But it never held. It's a lot enough, but I don't find out til how much later? And on top of him going crazy I gotta find out you knew?

"You're supposed to be in my corner, Beth. You of all people. I know you haven't been here as long, but that means even if it would hurt me, you were supposed to tell. And it hurts. It hurts so damn much that I just had to be alone because I didn't want you to hurt any more than you already did."

She drew a shaky breath. "When you care, hurt's part of the package."

He was silent for a few minutes then, and she was comfortable with that silence.

Then, he simply said, "Beth...I'm sorry."

She smiled, but it was sad.

"I'm sorry too."

They were then quiet, and the room felt so small and dark in that moment. It was stifling, almost oppressive, like they could drown at any moment. The misery was so tangible, it was the bitter taste of a pill on their tongues, and their throats ached with the threat of wanting to cry. A lot had happened in the last few days, and for most people, it was enough to make them curl up into a ball of misery and cry it out until it was all better.

But Beth and Rick weren't most people.

Instead of giving into the misery, Beth instead fell into Rick's embrace, her head firmly laid on his chest. She took comfort in him and his strength, the warmth of him, and breathed in his scent: a mix of aftershave with dirt and sweat and just the slightest hint of whiskey. It was strong and simple, but it was him, and it was like coming home to an old memory.

His fingers were gentle on her, touching and probing at her bare skin along her arms, as if maybe she didn't exist and he had to make sure she was real. Goosebumps raised along in the wake of his slow, hypnotic touch.

This was better than crying.

This was better than falling down and giving in.

They may have tripped, may have slowed up. They may have both made their mistakes, but it was in this quiet little moment that they both realized there was no facing it alone. There never could be again, because together, they were strong.

They were invincible.

 **Author Note:** Had a bit of a lapse, whoops! My husband is gone for a month and that's when things got crazy. Kid got sick, daycare closed a few days, and I have sooooo much work to do and school to do! It's insane! Chapter 19 is like 1500 words in, it flowed out nicely, which made me happy. I'm having a bit of muse love whispering in my ear and it's so appreciated. Also, this medication has been helpful already, or maybe it's because I want to get better, but I feel good. Well, except the insomnia, that's been a bitch.

The chapter! What did you all think?! I just couldn't stand to draw angst out between Beth and Rick, I just couldn't. It's so sad already. However, I hope this was a good interpretation and full of some feels, because I felt some feels, especially at the end. Tell me what you all think. I appreciate and love everyone's thoughts, y'all are amazing!

Love to all!


	19. Chapter 19

_I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, because I would instead like to write freely and for free, without any pressure of deadlines, because I'm terrible at those._

 _Blackbird Singing_

 **Chapter 19**

Beth had been right in her concern for Lori's reaction. However, it wasn't in the way she had expected. She had expected fire and brimstone from the older woman, an outrage, a "how dare you?!" sort of anger and screaming. She had a nightmare where Lori had snapped like Shane and had tried to kill her in a fit of rage, stabbing and clawing with viciously long talons, screaming over and over again how everything was ruined.

Instead, it happened on Sunday morning after church services. Rick, being a doll, had attended Sunday mass with Beth, though he seemed a bit bored at times, and instead of singing along with the rest of the congregation, he watched her sing, a bit of a proud and smug smirk on his face. They hadn't stayed after mass, Beth feigning that she was exhausted, and he made sure to get her home quickly so that she could have some rest before they went out to get Carl for lunch.

Rick had expressed doubts on it, saying that Lori had offered for them to do so. It was a white flag, it seemed, but all things considered, the ex-wife had never shown such flags in the past, and he feared it was a trap.

Beth had taken a quick nap and was fixing her hair, when she heard the doorbell ring. Rick was out in the backyard, trimming the edges of the lawn as he had mowed yesterday. Without a thought, she answered the door, smile on her face.

"Oh."

She hadn't meant it, she had meant to say, "Good afternoon!' or "Hello there!". She really had, but when Carl was with Lori on the doorstep instead of just Carl with Lori in the car, it threw her off balance, especially since she hadn't seen the other woman since Atlanta, and it made things feel disjointed and unsure of herself.

There was a nervous smile to Lori, and she seemed to clutch at Carl like a lifeline, though he squirmed in her touch, too old to be near his mother at this point, taking on the surly attitude of being a teenager.

"Hi, Miss Beth," he said politely, though. He had manners, like his father, but physically there wasn't as much likeness. He had taken after Lori, with pale skin and and the mess of brown hair like hers, and his had even grown out into a mop of a mess, whispering into his face and framing what was turning out to be quite the scowl, but was currently smiling up at her. However, his father was there in his eyes, bright and blue and incredible with the same sharpness. "Is my Dad home?"

"Of course." Beth's manners came back to her instantly, and she schooled her face into the polite, Southern girl smile that had been part of her since she was only two years old. She stepped back and opened the door, sweeping her arm to gesture them in. "Please come in. It's so nice to see you both."

Carl stepped through the door confidently, making his way for the cookie jar in the kitchen. He knew when Beth stayed over, that she tended to bake treats, and he would usually have one or two every time he was over. Lori was not as confident. She walked through slowly, hesitant, her eyes looking over the house, and Beth could tell there was a bit of surprise (hurt maybe?) each time she saw something that wasn't Rick's: the homemade quilt and throw pillows on the couch, one of Beth's cast iron pans left on the counter and freshly oiled, a picture of Beth and Rick on the fridge when they had gone fishing one day and holding their catches for the camera with big, eager smiles, and even the shoes by the door. Beth had a pair of tennis shoes, flip flops, and nice heels, neatly lined on the shoe rack. She could tell that each bit of Beth in the house was kind of like a stab the clearly said, "I have moved on in my life."

"Can I get you something to drink? Iced tea? Water? Lemonade?" Beth asked Lori gently.

Lori shook her head, smiling. "No thank you. I'm fine."

"I'm gonna go say hi to Dad," Carl said, his mouth full of cookies. "See you later, Mom."

He was gone before Lori could reply. She clutched at her handbag, grip a bit white knuckled. Beth took a moment to look at the woman, who she felt was dressed much more elegantly than she was. Lori wore a black wrap dress that was short sleeved and showed off her trim, straight figure. Her hair was pulled back into a loose, beautiful bun, with makeup that accentuated her high cheekbones and piercing eyes. Her nails were perfectly manicured, and Beth had a feeling that Lori's heels cost a lot more than her comfy Sketchers in the hallway.

The woman was tall, beautiful, and it made Beth feel a little boyish and inadequate, with her straightened blonde hair and shift dress with sunflowers brightly splashed all over it.

"I actually wanted to talk to you," Lori finally said, her words slow and careful as she finally focused her gaze on Beth. "That is, if you have a moment."

"Uh yeah, we can go sit in the living room." Beth sat down at the end of the couch slowly and carefully, wincing a bit as she felt the stab of pain in her ribs. She noticed Lori's alarmed look and smiled to put her at ease. "Sorry, broken ribs. I'm a bit slow, like I'm eighty or something."

For a fearful moment, it almost looked as if Lori would cry, but then she straightened herself with a steely resolve and sat closer to Beth than was almost comfortable.

Lori looked at Beth for a moment and neither spoke. Beth was afraid of what Lori would say. Would she say that she was taking Carl away? Would she tell her how everything was ruined? How Rick was just dating her to pass the time? Or would she be cruel and say how Beth was what ruined everything in life, how it would have all been fine if she had never gotten involved in the first place?

"I am a selfish person," Lori said.

Beth blinked rapidly, and it was as if her breath got caught.

Well, that was unexpected.

"Rick and I have been separated for over two years, officially divorced for one, I think, and I'm selfish," Lori went on. "But...I don't know. I just thought Rick would stay Rick and I would move on and be happy. That things would change, but not really, so when I had heard he was seeing a woman that's young enough to almost be his daughter, I got angry. Who was getting Rick to stop drinking and being a miserable person? Who was making him smile and laugh and be so wonderful?"

She looked at Beth and Beth saw that Lori was trying to hold back tears. "Shane told me a lot about you. That's how I knew it was you at the grocery store right away. And I was so angry. I couldn't see straight, I swear. But I had no right. I had no right to be angry, especially after what I did to Rick. But you have to know, things between us hadn't been happy for years. An Shane was there and it just happened.

"You can't help who you fall in love with, Beth. It just happens. But then...Shane. I don't know. I can't believe he did what he did. He was more scared of rocking the boat than I was. And he went off the deep end." She reached up and gently caressed Beth's face in a loving, motherly manner, taking care of the bruises that were still blue and purple, with a bit of green forming at the edges, but at least the swelling had gone down. "And he did this terrible thing to you. I am so sorry. I'm sorry that I'm selfish. I'm so very sorry."

Normally, Beth would have said to a person that it was okay, that it was fine and all could move on, but instead she nodded.

"Thank you for your apology," Beth said softly in reply, and Lori withdrew her hand and wiped at her watering eyes. "I appreciate it."

"Hey Beth, you ready to go out? I just have to clean up quick and- oh. Lori." Rick had trailed off as he walked into the living room, wiping his hands on an old rag. The smile of pure unadulterated joy that had been on his face when he first entered was quickly replaced with a careful and tense, almost expressionless face. "How's everything going in here?"

"Everything's fine," Beth assured him. "Do you boys know where you want to eat?"

"I wanna eat at The Hat and get queso dip," Carl answered.

"We ate there last time, you sure?" Rick asked.

Carl rolled his eyes. "That was like over a month ago, Dad. C'mon!"

"I have to get going," Lori suddenly interjected. She stood swiftly, nodding to Beth, who nodded back, the move discreet on both their parts. "Walk me out please, Rick."

Beth saw again that change, where Rick went from the Rick she knew, who was loving and smiling, if sometimes serious, but still gentle, to a hard creature, full of a barely contained rage that was capable of terrible things. He didn't answer, but nodded, his body kept in check as Lori led the way to the front and they both left the house, the front door being closed with a click, and then it all was silent.

"Mom's been crying a lot," Carl nearly whispered.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Beth said, tone low and soothing. "I'm sure it's been rough for her lately."

"She brought it on herself." The bitterness was evident in his voice, thick with venom. "I wish you'd have killed him. It would've be easier."

She wanted to cry. "I don't think I could have lived with myself if it turned out that way."

"He was my friend. He was kind of like another Dad, especially when Dad was drinking and sad all the time. I liked it when he was over, and he taught me how to shoot a gun and how to start a fire without a lighter." She saw that he also wanted to cry. God, it was becoming such a tough day. "And then he changed and he got angry and mean and he hurt you." She could see he was trying hard not to cry. "But I like you Beth. You make Dad happy and he's not drinking anymore and-"

She was up so fast, that it hurt to breathe, but she didn't care. She took those few steps to Carl and hugged him tight, hugged him even though the pain in her body flared and made her dizzy with it. She hugged him comfortingly, her hand on his hair, soothing and gentle, even though they were nearly the same height. He hugged her back, almost desperate and clutching at her like a lifeline and gave a strangled sob into her shoulder.

"I could have stopped him," he said, tears thick in his voice. "He was acting so weird and he almost hurt Mom and I saw him text you. I knew something bad was gonna happen and I should have said something, but I didn't. And it's all my fault!"

"It's not your fault. It's no one's fault but his, and he'll have to answer for it," she said softly, fiercely. "It's not your fault."

Almost, as if he realized that he wasn't being a strong, independent young man, he nearly leapt away from her, hastily scrubbing his cheeks, eyes a bit red-rimmed.

She tried to ignore the pain that was inside and out.

Rick came in through the front door then, and she noticed the anger in his body was no longer present. There was a relaxed look, like a terrible burden had been lifted from him. She looked at him questioningly, but instead of saying anything, he came to her at that moment and kissed her swiftly, passionately. So surprised was she that she could do nothing but return the kiss, even with Carl barely a few feet away, openly gaping at them. They parted and Rick placed his forehead on hers, grinning.

"Hey," she giggled nervously, blushing bright red across her cheeks to her ears.

"Hey there," he said back with a big, goofy grin still on his face.

"There's a minor in the room," Carl drawled. "And if you need some privacy, just let me know. I can go hang with friends or something."

Rick broke away from Beth and grabbed at Carl, affectionately rubbing the top of the boy's head and messing his hair. Carl laughed and slapped lightly at Rick's arms and the two wrestled around for a moment, Rick laughing and smiling as well. Beth watched them, her heart filling with happiness, and she knew that him and her were a forever thing.

"How about we go eat now?" Rick suggested.

* * *

Lunch had been wonderful, and it was the first time that Beth had gotten to spend extended time with Carl. All three of them sitting there, with Beth and Rick on one side of the booth while Carl was on the other, made her feel like a genuine family. Carl didn't mind that his dad was dating someone that was on the younger side, and in fact like to tease Rick about being old and how if he wasn't careful he might try to steal Beth. They teased Rick relentlessly, who could do nothing but laugh at the good natured jabs.

There was white queso dip, chimichangas, the well-liked P5 of the menu, and plenty of chips and salsa to go around. They shared food, often reaching across to swipe a forkful of chicken and rice, or steal the really tasty bit of melty cheese off another's plate. There was laughing and drinking of iced tea and Coke.

Carl spoke of school, how he was really enjoying the perils of junior high. He was kind of getting into comics, so if Dad could please take him to the comic shop on Villard, that would be awesome, because he had some money saved up, and hey, maybe they could all find a game together to play.

"I mean, now that there's three, I bet we can find something to play that's cool," Carl said, his mouth full of food.

"Chew your food and swallow before you talk," Rick said offhandedly, though was also loving and stern in his fatherly manner. He looked at Beth, taking a sip of his tea, and his right hand was gently placed on her thigh, hand lightly kneading the milky flesh. "But yeah, we can head over after this. That is, you feeling up to it, Miss Beth? Pain doing okay?"

She nodded, making sure to look at Rick and instead ignore the looks she had been receiving since they had walked in. Her face was enough of a mess that makeup couldn't fix it, and so had just done nothing to cover it. Of course, the whole situation with Shane had spread like wildfire through town, so any time Beth had been in public, there were eyes and whispers surrounding her, though many wouldn't approach.

She no longer cared. She had almost died. How dare they make judgments about her? How dare they speak as if they know what's going on?

How dare they!

So instead, she ignored them, and focused on two important people in front of her.

And that was fine.

"I'm fine with that. It'd be fun to check out. I heard they got all kinds of things like figurines and dice and stuff," Beth answered. Then, Beth heard her phone ringing. "Oh, let me get this. Sorry."

She looked down at her phone, feeling the blood drain from her face.

It was Maggie.

Rick's phone began to ring as well, and she saw his brow furrow, but he answered it as she answered her call. Carl ignored both of them, happily eating his lunch.

" **Hey Maggie."** " _This is Rick."_

" **What? No. I'm fine. Where did you hear it from? No. I'm fine. Wait! Calm down!"** " _Yes. I was his partner before the incident. May I ask what's this in regards to?"_

" **Maggie. Just stop. Let me explain."** " _I'm sorry, what happened?"_

" **What?!"** " _What?!"_

" **I'm out with Rick and his son right now. I will call you later tonight and explain everything. Yes, I'm safe and I'm okay. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I promise I will call and talk to you later tonight."** " _Okay. Bye."_

Beth gave a bit of a frustrated sigh and stabbed angrily at her shrimp chimichanga.

"Sorry, Maggie called." She gave a sharp, bitter laugh. "I kind of haven't told my family about what happened, which is terrible I know, but I just needed some time. I mean, I had no idea how to even start the whole thing, and I didn't want them fawning over me or anything. I kind of feel terrible now, but I've just been really tire-"

"Shane's dead."

 **Author Note:** DO NOT HURT ME! Okay, so a few notes on the chappie AND SLIGHTLY SPOILERIFIC. I WILL explain why Rick was happy after his conversation with Lori. You will eventually find out. We will also find out about Shane's death and what has happened to make it that way. Honestly, I was not planning on killing Shane. I meant to have a big ol court case where Beth has to confront him and we get closure, and THEN this story was like, fuck you, that's not happening. We are totally fucking your day and where this is going. Seriously, this story ran away on me. I have no idea where it's headed, but I'm kind of digging it and it's exciting to have such an unknown layout. That's what I adore about fanfiction! It's a writing exercise for me. It's an outlet and just a way to escape.

So now I noticed some people were a little miffed with Rick and his abandonment of Beth. I feel the need to clarify something. What happened to Beth was terrible, an incident that will forever scar her. Rick knows this, but Rick is also pulled in different directions. Ask yourself, how would you feel to know your best friend tried killing your girlfriend and also had an affair and knocked up your now ex-wife and your girlfriend knew, but she didn't tell you?! That's kind of a lot to take in, and he did not handle it the best, no...but I tried to portray Rick in the realest sense possible, especially with how he has been in this story. He is not a perfect man, and he has flaws. Rick in bad situations in the past has run away and hidden (season 4 *COUGH*) from responsibilities.

Sorry for the long notes. Let me know your thoughts. I really appreciate them, so very much, and I will try getting to smut territory again ASAP. Love to all!


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